Underneath the Underneath
by substitutingrealitywithmyown
Summary: Rewrite of Naruto from the day after the Mizuki incident: Naruto isn't as dim as everyone believes, and when he figures out something important about his past, how will that change the course of history.
1. Hi, I'm Uzumaki Naruto

**Disclaimer:Anything recognizable from the _Naruto_ universe is the owner of ****Masashi Kishimoto, not me. I'm just having some fun and not making any money from this. **

"Hey, you can't go in there!" an angry voice shouted as a short, blonde haired, ocean blue-eyed boy stormed past the secretary's desk and threw open the doors to the Hokage's office.

"Old man, when were you going to tell me?" Naruto yelled, glaring at the elderly man sitting behind the desk and a mountain of paperwork.

"Naruto-kun, what are you doing?" Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandiame Hokage of Konoha, the Village hidden in the Leaves, said, hiding a smile at the boy who he thought of as a second grandson. '_Note to self: don't let Konohamaru and Naruto meet, it could spell the end of us all_.'

"I want to know why you never told me about…" Naruto pointed at his stomach. "And why you never told me about my father?"

The Hokage froze. "Close the doors and leave us," the Hokage said sharply. The secretary nodded numbly and quickly left the office, closing the doors behind her. Hiruzen made some hands seals and the doors and windows glowed.

"Naruto, you know that what you carry is classified an SS-secret," the Hokage said. "You can't go yelling about it. And what's this about your father?"

"Sorry sir," Naruto said, chagrined by the older man's glare. "Its just why didn't you tell me that my father was the Yondaime Hokage."

Hiruzen sat stunned. "What are you talking about Naruto?"

"Come on Old Man, it's not that hard to figure out," the boy said. "The fox attacked on my birthday, it was sealed by the Yondaime Hokage, who died as a result. And I look just like him, at least from the pictures I've seen. The only other clan that has blonde hair is the Yamanaka's, though it's not like mine and they don't have the same eyes as me. So why didn't you tell me?"

Hiruzen fell back into his chair, stunned. Taking a deep breath, he took the plunge. "I'm sorry Naruto-kun, you are right. Your father was the Yondaime Hokage and his name was Namikaze Minato. I didn't tell you because your father said to wait until you became a jounin or you turned twenty-one."

"Why?" Naruto asked. "Why didn't he want me to know?"

"It wasn't just you Naruto," Hiruzen said. "Your father had many enemies and if they knew that he had a son, you would be a very tempting target."

"Not that that changes much," Naruto grumbled.

Hiruzen sighed; he knew that Naruto was treated horribly by a majority of the villagers, since they saw the boy as the Kyuubi rather than as Naruto. The Third remembered that just before the Fourth had died, he had hoped that the village would see Naruto as a hero for containing the demon.

"Naruto, I am sorry that this was kept from you," Hiruzen said. "But I believe its time for you to receive your inheritance."

The Hokage stood up and walked around his desk to the pictures of the former Hokages. He stopped at the photo of the Yondaime Hokage.

"Naruto, come over here," Hiruzen said. Naruto stood up and walked over to the Third. "Now, your father sealed some things for you behind his portrait but you need to swipe some blood against the seal."

Naruto nodded and bit his thumb, drawing some blood. He pressed the bloody finger against the bottom of the portrait where a whirlpool was showing. The seal glowed blue and the picture broke out of the wall and drew up, reveling a sunken compartment. The hidden compartment had three scrolls inside. The Third Hokage took the three scrolls and handed them to Naruto.

Each of those scrolls are priceless Naruto, the blue one has your father's jutsu scrolls, his notes on them and his ideas for improving them. The green one contains information on your mother's jutsus as well as her journals. And the red one contains letters from your parents and some other personal effects."

Naruto looked down at the scrolls in his arms, cradling them as if they were the most precious things in the world.

"Hokage-sama, do you know where my parents are buried? I mean, I don't know my mother's name and only found out my father's today," Naruto said.

Hiruzen immediately noticed the 'sama' suffix that Naruto used. "Of course Naruto, I can take you there," he said. "And your mother's name was Uzumaki Kushina."

Naruto gave the Hokage a watery smile as he tenderly put the scrolls in his kunai pouch at his side. Hiruzen unsealed the room and followed Naruto out of the office.

"Hokage-sama," the secretary said. "I'm sorry that 'that boy' disturbed you."

Hiruzen noticed the venom aimed at Naruto, who was glaring at the woman. "It's fine," he said sharply. "I'm going for a walk with Naruto, I don't know when I'll be back but it shouldn't be too long."

"Hai Hokage-sama," the secretary said.

"I'm sorry you had to deal with her Naruto," Hiruzen said when he and Naruto left the Hokage tower.

"It's ok old man, I'm used to it. And at least now, I know why the villagers act like they do," Naruto said. "Before, I thought that I had done something wrong. Now I realize that it's their fear stemming from the Kyuubi attack, I'm the visible reminder of their pain and loss. Fear makes people do many things. But I do have a question to ask; how do people know that I carry the fox?"

The Hokage was stunned. "Naruto, I am truly sorry that you have had to go through all this. You are truly your mother's son. And as for why people know what you carry, it is because there were so many witnesses to the attack, and when I returned with you in my arms and with that seal still glowing on your stomach, people surmised that the Fourth somehow changed the fox into human form, namely you."

"What were my parent's like? I mean everyone knows my father, the ninja, but what was he actually like?" Naruto asked, his voice soft and child-like. Hiruzen looked down at the boy, '_No, young man_,' he thought. Naruto seemed to have drawn in on himself, like a child would if they were afraid that they had asked about something they shouldn't have.

"Naruto, your parents were two of the best people I ever had the fortune to meet. Your father, while a feared and respected ninja, was also a loving and caring man, who always looked to find the best in a person," Hiruzen said. "Your mother was very much like you; loud, boisterous and confident. But she also was very protective of her loved ones. Both your parents would lay down their lives for what they believed in, or for their son. And they did just that, they gave their lives to protect you, Naruto, and the village."

Naruto looked away, discreetly wiping his eyes, Hiruzen was silent as he let the young man compose himself.

"Where are we going jiji?" Naruto asked. "Wouldn't my parents names be on the Memorial Stone?"

"Yes," the Hokage said. "But their graves are somewhere else. Now Naruto, this is an S-class secret. Only myself knows the exact location because like I said, your father had many enemies, so I made sure that few people know about the site so no one would try and vandalize it."

Naruto nodded.

Soon the duo found themselves on top of the Hokage monument. Hiruzen led Naruto into the forest behind the monument. They had been walking down a path for roughly a mile before they came upon a clearing. In the middle were two grave markers, simple but elegant in their design.

Naruto walked over and knelt down in front of the markers. "Tou-san, Kaa-san," he whispered, laying a hand on each of the markers. "I'm sorry I've never been to visit but I hope you're proud of me. I dreamt that I was the son of the Fourth Hokage, not really believing it. So to find out that I truly was the son of the Fourth was…indescribable. I understand why you decided to seal the fox in me, you were the Hokage and you couldn't ask someone else to sacrifice their child if you weren't willing to do the same. I promise I'll make you both proud."

A soft, warm breeze went through the clearing. Naruto's hair shifted, almost as if someone's hand was ruffling it. Naruto smiled and inclined his head, letting his tears flow freely. Another gust of wind flew through the clearing, it seemed to wrap around Naruto, like a hug.

"Thank you," Naruto whispered. "I'll come back and visit sometime soon."

With that, Naruto rose from the ground and walked back to the Hokage. "Thank you Hokage-sama," Naruto said formally.

"You're very welcome Naruto-kun, I just wish that you hadn't needed to come here," Hiruzen said. "Since you know your lineage, would you like to see your family's home?"

"I'd like that very much," Naruto said. The Hokage smiled and led Naruto back into the forest.

They walked for roughly a half-mile before coming upon a large compound-like house. Above the door there was an emblem; two blue waves on a sea of yellow.

"This was my father's house?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, Minato bought this house after he became Hokage," the Third said. "He said he wanted a place away from the village somewhere he and his family could have some privacy."

"Could I live here?" Naruto asked, once again in that small child-like voice. The Third smiled.

"Of course, it is your house now. I believe that the door is sealed with another blood seal, like the one in my office."

Naruto nodded and stepped up to the door, pulling a kunai from his holster. He opened a cut on his palm and swiped it across the door. The door glowed before the lock clicked and the door swung open noiselessly. Naruto entered the front hall and looked around. The hall looked immaculate, like it had been just cleaned yesterday.

"It seems that Minato used his sealing talents to keep this place clean," the Third said. Naruto looked intrigued.

"You can do that with seals?" he asked.

"You can do almost anything with Fuinjutsu," Hiruzen said. "I'm sure your father left you some notes in his scroll. Maybe you should take a look at it."

Naruto nodded. He made a hand sign, a cross in front of his chest, and said, "_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!"

Two clones appeared on either side of Naruto. "Go back to the apartment and gather everything. We're leaving that…place and moving in here."

"Ossu!" the clones said before rushing out the door.

"Well then Naruto-kun, I better be getting back to the village. And I'm sure you'd like sometime alone to take a look around." Naruto nodded his thanks. "Ok, good night Naruto-kun, and remember that you have to go to the Academy tomorrow for team selections."

"I'll be there and thank you Ojii-sama," Naruto said. Hiruzen smiled and left Naruto, who was still gazing around the house.

Naruto's clones returned to the house just over an hour later, laden with all of his worldly possessions. "Thanks, go find a room to put that stuff away," Naruto said, not looking up from his father's scroll.

Minato truly had been a genius amongst geniuses, but his true brilliance was his ability to break things down into their most basic forms. There were notes on all Minato's jutsus; the Rasengan, the Flying Thunder God, as well as his notes on improving some of the more basic jutsus, plus all his sealing notes. But what caught Naruto's eye was his father's notes on the Shadow Clone Jutsu. The notes said only ninja with extremely large chakra reserves could use the technique, since it spilt the chakra evenly amongst the clones. Also, the user would gain any knowledge that the clones amassed before being dispelled, making them ideal for scouting ahead.

Naruto was amazed that his father had only been able to create fifty clones at most. Naruto had no idea how many clones he had made against Mizuki the previous night but it had been more than fifty.

'_Wait, if shadow clones send their memories back to the original when they vanish, does that mean if two clones are learning the same thing, I'll learn it twice as fast_,' Naruto thought.

Everyone in the village and at the Academy thought that Naruto was an idiot, his grades certainly showed it, but it didn't help that Naruto was given Chunnin-level exams or even higher. Naruto knew now why his instructors hated him, well except for Iruka-sensei, they hated him.

But Naruto didn't learn well by reading or studying, he learned best by doing things, through actually experiencing the process.

'_I'll have to look into that later_,' he thought as a clock chimed. He looked up, it was nearly three in the morning. '_Crap, I have to be at the Academy in six hours_.'

Naruto grudgingly got to his feet and staggered up the stairs to the bedroom that his clones had dumped his stuff in. It was the master bedroom. A king-sized bed dominated the room with blue sheets and the Namikaze seal on display. It barely registered in Naruto's mind that the last people to sleep in this room were his parents, most likely the night before the Kyuubi attack, he only had enough mental strength to remember to change into his pajamas before collapsing onto the bed.

"Naruto, always remember that we love you and we always will," a soft female voice filled with warmth and affection, said. Naruto shot upright in bed as he heard a hawk's cry come through the window. Looking around wildly, Naruto realized that he wasn't in his apartment, he was in his father's house, in the master bedroom of the Namikaze compound. The previous day's events quickly came back to him.

He was the son of the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato, and Uzumaki Kushina, a formidable kunoichi in her own right. However, no one knew this aside from the Sandaime Hokage and himself, though Naruto suspected that there were others that knew as well.

"Crap! I'm going to be late," Naruto exclaimed. He leapt out of bed and rushed into the bathroom. After a quick shower, Naruto reentered the bedroom, rubbing a towel against his hair. He looked at his discarded clothes, the orange jumpsuit that had made him stand out. Frowning, he realized that a new wardrobe was in order. Naruto went to the drawers and found some of his father's clothes from when he was younger. He now looked like a ninja rather than a human-shaped pumpkin. Naruto had on dark blue plants, black undershirt and a dark red long sleeved shirt. He tied his headband across his forehead and tied his kunai holster onto his right thigh.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto left the house, resealing it and dashed off to the Academy. He reached the Academy at just after nine and found a seat in the second to last row of the classroom.

Slowly the classroom filled up around him, but Naruto kept his head down. His mind was still on the previous day's revelations and he was also thinking about getting back to his house and start training, and learning some of his father's jutsus.

"Who the hell are you?" a loud, obnoxious voice barked from behind him. Naruto looked up. It was Inuzuka Kiba, his dog partner, Akamaru, on his head.

"What do you want Kiba?" Naruto asked.

"Naruto!" Kiba exclaimed. "Why are you here? Only people who passed the exam are supposed to be here."

"Can't you see the forehead protector I'm wearing?" Naruto growled, jabbing his thumb at the metal plate on his head.

"How did you get that?" another boy snapped.

"It's a secret, very hush, hush. You know, have to kill you if I told you," Naruto said, with an amused smile at the others' faces.

"All right, settle down you all," a sharp voice called out from the front of the room. It was Iruka, the class quickly settled down and found their seats.

"Now then, you are all here because you have passed the graduation exam," a cheer went up. "Yes, congratulations, however you are all still genin, so you must continue to work hard if you want to advance. Now for the team assignments, you will be put in teams of three and placed under a jonin-sensei. After your teams are called, wait here for your sensei to come and get you."

Iruka began calling out names, Naruto tuned him out by looking around at the other new graduates. Two rows down and at the far end of the row sat Uchiha Sasuke, the sole survivor of the Uchiha Massacre of four years previous. Sasuke's older brother, Itachi, had carried out the Massacre, killing all the Uchiha except for Sasuke and since then Sasuke had been treated like royalty by the villagers. And because of that, Sasuke had become arrogant and believed that he was better than everyone else.

Naruto knew that Sasuke was a very talented ninja. He was easily the best in the class, however Sasuke also seemed to feel that no one would ever measure up to him. Naruto had spied the Uchiha training but without anyone to push him past his limits, Sasuke would never really advance. The problem with that was, Sasuke felt that because he was an Uchiha, that no one was as good as he was, and it didn't help that the Village council would do anything to make the boy happy.

"Team Seven, Uzumaki Naruto…" Iruka's voice cut through Naruto's thought. "Haruno Sakura…" Naruto perked up at this.

It was no secret that he harbored a major crush on the pink haired girl. Sakura was the smartest one in the class, she got perfect scores on all their exams, though she was the worst at Taijutsu and pretty lousy at ninjutsu as well, though this stemmed from her meager chakra reserves.

Naruto thought back to before he had started the Academy, he and Sakura had been on friendly terms, she was one of the few children that he had been able to hang out with. Though once they entered the Academy, Sakura was drawn into the world of a Sasuke-fan girl, along with Yamanaka Ino and every other girl in their class.

"And Uchiha Sasuke," Iruka finished. Naruto groaned as Sakura cried excitedly and turned to Ino, who was sitting next to her and stuck out her tongue. Naruto rolled his eyes at the behavior. The remaining three teams were called out and soon left with their jonin senseis, leaving Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke alone in the room.

Naruto pulled out a scroll and began reading it. It was full of exercises aimed to improve one's chakra control. Naruto was pants at chakra control, and after reading his father's scrolls, Naruto was going to need to learn at least decent chakra control.

"Grrr, where's out sensei?" Sakura growled after nearly two hours of silence. Naruto looked up and saw that Sakura was pacing back and forth at the front of the room. Smirking, Naruto spied an eraser on the blackboard and a quick prank popped into his head.

The door slid open to revel a silver haired man wearing a jonin vest, his forehead protector covering his left eye.

Thump!

An eraser fell onto the man's head, releasing a cloud of chalk that sprinkled the man's already silvery hair.

"What the!" Sakura and Sasuke said. "Where did that come from?"

"Well my first impression of you guys is… that I hate you," the jonin said. Sakura and Sasuke sweat dropped while Naruto chuckled. "Something funny blondie?" the jonin asked.

Naruto looked up at the jonin, his ocean blue eyes stormy. "Well my first impression of you isn't very high considering you couldn't even dodge an eraser Kakashi-sensei."

The jonin's one visible eye widened, "Well then blondie, you know my name, what's yours?"

"You're supposed to be our sensei, and you don't even know our names? Wow!"

"Naruto-baka, SHUT UP!" Sakura cried, her fist rose to strike the back of Naruto's head. She brought it down, but Naruto easily leaned out of the way, making Sakura to lose her balance and nearly fall over. She blinked at the feeling of a pair of strong arms holding her up and her back against a firm chest. She looked up and saw the ocean blue eyes of Naruto starring down at her.

"You should be more careful Sakura-chan," he said with a small smile.

Sakura was surprised to find she was blushing. Sasuke was stunned, he didn't even see Naruto move. Sasuke's onyx eyes narrowed. '_Is that Naruto? He usually can't take more than four steps without falling over. And where's the orange?_'

'_So that's Uzumaki?_' Kakashi thought. '_His file said that he was obnoxious, loud and brash. But this kid seems to be calm and alert. I could barely see him move. Though he does have quite the mouth._'

"All right you three, meet on top of the Academy in ten minutes," Kakashi said before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

Naruto released Sakura and put his arms behind his head. "Sorry Sakura-chan, but I couldn't let you fall," he said, with a bright smile. He left the classroom without another word, Sakura exchanged a look with Sasuke, who looked just as confused, before the pair left the classroom.

"Now then, why don't we get this over with," Kakashi said. "We'll go around and introduce ourselves. Your likes, dislikes, ambitions, you know. Blondie, you're up first."

Naruto glared at Kakashi. "Fine, I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I love ramen and training. I dislike anyone who thinks they can coast through life on their name," Sasuke glared daggers at Naruto, who ignored it. "Also I dislike those who put others down to make themselves feel stronger. And my dream is to become Hokage in order to protect my home and to be recognized as a shinobi of the Leaf." '_And to surpass my father_' Naruto finished silently.

Kakashi grinned behind his mask. '_Kid's got spunk. He insulted the both of them, without coming out and saying it._'

"All right pinkie, your turn…"

"Hai. My name is Haruno Sakura. I like…" she trailed off when she glanced at Sasuke. "I dislike Naruto and my dream is to…" against Sakura trailed off as her face went red.

Naruto rolled his eyes as Sasuke blatantly ignored Sakura. He also noticed that Sakura hadn't reacted to his thinly veiled jab at how she would always try to put him down when he would try and impress her.

'_So I'm stuck with a ninja whose more concerned about love then being an actual ninja_,' Kakashi thought. "All right, let's see what Mr. Sunshine has to say."

"Name's Uchiha Sasuke. I don't like anything, and I dislike Naruto and those who are weak. My ambition is to kill a certain man and revive my clan," Sasuke said, his fingers steepled in front of his face. Sakura looked like she was going to faint, Naruto shrugged.

'_I figured as much,_' Kakashi thought. "Well then, that's all for today…"

"Wait sensei, what about you?" Sakura asked.

"Ah me…well as blondie said earlier, my name is Hayate Kakashi. I have many likes and dislikes but I'm not going to share them with you, and I don't have many ambitions. Now then I expect you three to meet me at Training Ground 7 at seven am tomorrow morning for the genin acceptance test. Oh and don't bother eating breakfast, it won't be staying down very long."

"Wait, genin acceptance test, what are you talking about? I thought we already graduated," Sakura said.

"That's true but this test is to make sure that you three have what it takes to be a ninja. I should tell you though that this test has a 66% failure rate, and if you fail, you'll be sent back to the Academy."

Sakura and Sasuke sweat dropped while Naruto nodded. "Well then, we won't fail Kakashi-sensei, cause I'm not going back to the Academy," Naruto said confidently. "See you tomorrow, sensei, Sakura-chan, teme," he added before vanishing in a streak of yellow light.


	2. Enter the Lazy Cyclops

**Disclaimer: Read Chapter one, not doing this for money, all things pertaining to the _Naruto_ universe is owned by its creator, which isn't me.**

Naruto woke early the next morning, feeling nervous but confident about Kakashi-sensei's test. After leaving Sakura, Sasuke and Kakashi, Naruto had returned to the Namikaze compound to continue looking over his father's notes. He was surprised to learn that Minato had been Kakashi's sensei and that the test that Minato put his team through was designed to distract and divide the team by saying that they had to get two bells from Minato.

'_I wonder if Kakashi-sensei's test is the same one that Tou-san used,_' Naruto thought. '_It certainly fits. And if this is the test, Dad said that the purpose of the test is to see how well the team worked together._'

Naruto left the compound just as the sun was rising over the tops of the trees surrounding the house. He was wearing the same type of clothes as yesterday, dark blue pants and sandals, with a dark green shirt over a black undershirt. He made his way through the village, placing a basic Henge on himself to hide his features, his blonde hair now a sandy brown and his ocean blue eyes darkened almost to navy. His distinctive whisker marks were covered.

Naruto had learned early on that no one would sell anything to the 'demon' child or if they did, it was at a horribly inflated price. So Naruto began using a Henge to fool the shopkeepers. On the way to the training ground, Naruto bought a couple of apples and other fruits. He knew that Kakashi had said not to eat breakfast but Naruto also knew that he wouldn't have a chance against the jonin if he were not at 100%.

"Naruto-baka, Kakashi-sensei said that we weren't supposed to eat breakfast," Sakura scolded when he arrived.

"And you believed him," Naruto said sharply. "Seriously Sakura-chan, you're a ninja, Kakashi-sensei is obviously trying to trick us into being at our worst, and besides from what I've heard, sensei has an annoying habit of showing up late."

"How would know that?" Sasuke demanded.

"I hear things around the village when I do my pranks," Naruto said evasively. Sasuke narrowed his eyes but nodded. Naruto pulled out two apples and passed them to Sakura and Sasuke. "We need to be at full strength for whatever Kakashi-sensei has planned for us."

Both Sakura and Sasuke were stunned that Naruto had given them food, let alone food that wasn't ramen.

"Of course if you two aren't hungry and don't want them, I'll take them back," Naruto said. Just then Sasuke and Sakura's stomachs growled and they shook their heads quickly. Naruto bit back a chuckle as his two teammates devoured the fruit.

"Thank you Naruto," Sakura said softly. Sasuke grunted which Naruto took as thanks as well.

"You're welcome Sakura-chan, Sasuke," he said.

There was a loud pop and a poof of smoke behind Naruto. "What's going on here?" Kakashi said sharply. "I told you that you couldn't eat breakfast."

"No sensei, you said that we shouldn't," Naruto said. "And besides, I'm sure that if the test is as hard as you say, we'll need to be at full strength."

"Well then, I guess if you three are at full strength, then I don't have to so easy," Kakashi said with a hidden smile. Sakura gulped, while Naruto and Sasuke looked excited. "All right then, you have until noon to get these two bells from me. You have to come at me with the intent to kill or you won't have a chance. And if you don't get a bell, you'll be tied up to one of those stumps and have to watch the others eat lunch."

"But sensei, there's only two bells," Sakura said. "That means one of us will get tied up."

"I suppose it does," Kakashi said nonchalantly. "So let's begin."

Sasuke and Sakura vanished into the woods. "You know that you're supposed to go and hide," Kakashi said, looking at Naruto who hadn't moved.

"Yeah well, I'm sure that you know where the others are," Naruto said. "And besides, I want to see how good you are."

"What is that dobe doing?" Sasuke snorted from his hiding spot.

"Whose a dobe?" a voice behind Sasuke whispered. Sasuke whirled around, his hand darting for a kunai. "Easy there Sasuke, it's just me."

"Naruto, what the HELL!"

Naruto smirked. "Come on Sasuke, we better find Sakura-chan. We have to work together if we want to beat Kakashi-sensei."

Sasuke snorted. "I don't need your help."

"Really Sasuke, you didn't even realize I was behind you, so how can you think that you can beat a jonin," Naruto said.

"How are you here? You were facing off against Kakashi," Sasuke snapped.

"You haven't heard of the Bunshin no Jutsu," the blonde smirked.

"You can't make clones, the ones you tried at the exam were pathetic."

"True, but the 'me' out there isn't a normal clone, it's a Shadow Clone."

"Shadow Clone!"

"Yes, now come on, we need to find Sakura-chan," Naruto said, turning away from Sasuke. The raven-haired boy scowled but followed.

'_So Naruto used a Shadow Clone to delay me_,' Kakashi thought as he toyed with the clone. '_The boy is cleverer than I thought and to be able to use the Shadow Clones this well and to make them so durable._'

Naruto and Sasuke burst through the woods. "There you are Sakura-chan," Naruto cried as they came upon the young girl.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura cried, rushing toward the raven-haired boy. Naruto's eyes flashed with hurt as the pink-haired girl threw her arms around Sasuke. "What are you doing here Naruto?"

"We need to work together if we want to have a chance," the blonde said. He suddenly stiffened. "Kakashi-sensei just finished toying with my Shadow Clone, and I have a feeling that he's on his way here."

"Shadow Clones, what's he talking about Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked.

"It seems that Naruto has been hiding some things from us," Sasuke said.

"We're ninja, keeping secrets and deception is in the job description," Naruto said. "Now we need to work together, we need to ambush Kakashi-sensei. I can use my clones to cause a distraction; Sasuke, you and Sakura-chan try and get the bells. I'll cover you."

Sasuke and Sakura both nodded.

"Good, now go hide and when you hear my shout, that's the signal," Naruto said crisply. The other two vanished, Naruto made a cross hand sign, and two clones appeared, another hand sign and the two clones took on the appearance of Sakura and Sasuke. "You know what to do."

"Sasuke-kun, do you really think that Naruto really can do the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu? I mean, at the graduation exam, he couldn't even make a decent clone," Sakura said.

"Yes, I seriously doubt that he can do much of anything but I'm not going back to the Academy," Sasuke growled. "And hopefully, he'll keep Kakashi unaware of us so we can get those bells."

"Right, I'm always with you Sasuke-kun," Sakura said.

"Took you long enough to beat my clone Kakashi-sensei," Naruto called out as the jonin appeared in the clearing.

"I have to say that I'm somewhat impressed that you can perform the Shadow Clone jutsu, but I'm not as weak as Mizuki," Kakashi said.

"True," Naruto conceded. "But let's see how you do against the original."

Naruto dashed forward, drawing a kunai from his holster and he threw it at Kakashi. The jonin lazily dodged it, but Naruto was upon him. The blonde threw a right cross at the silver-haired jonin, who easily blocked it. Naruto used the momentum to put spinning kick that Kakashi was able to block.

"Now Sakura-chan, Sasuke," Naruto cried. The other two genin burst out of the woods and sped toward Kakashi, coming from opposite sides. Kakashi made to break away but Naruto grabbed the jonin's arm. "Oh no you don't Kakashi-sensei."

Sasuke and Sakura dove toward the jonin. Poof. Kakashi vanished as Sasuke's fingers brushed against the bells attached to Kakashi's belt, Sasuke slammed into a tree trunk.

"Substitution," Naruto cried. Sakura and Sasuke burst into smoke, returning to Naruto.

'_He Henged two clones into his teammates and used them quite effectively_,' Kakashi mused. "Now where are the other two?"

"Right behind you," a smug voice said behind Kakashi. The jonin leapt away as Sasuke came barreling out of the leaves. Sasuke's flew through a series of hand signs. "Gokakyu no Jutsu!"

"No genin should be able to perform that jutsu," Kakashi said, his one visible eye widening.

A giant fireball sped toward Kakashi, who vanished just before impact.

"Where'd he go?"

"Down here," a voice said from below Sasuke. A gloved hand burst from the ground and grabbed Sasuke's leg. "Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu."

Sasuke was dragged underground until only his head was sticking out like a weed.

"Too bad Sasuke-chan," Kakashi said with an eye smile. The Uchiha heir snarled at the jonin and tried to wiggle himself free. Suddenly Sasuke's head vanished in a cloud of smoke, being replaced by a log.

"Kawarimi!" Kakashi exclaimed.

"Damn it Sasuke, where were you and Sakura-chan earlier," Naruto's voice came from the trees. "We would have had those bells if you had done your part."

"Shut it dobe, I don't need your help," Sasuke's voice followed.

"Right, just like you didn't need me to rescue you just now, would you have rather me leave you looking like a weed with a duck's butt haircut. And where's Sakura-chan, she was supposed to help you."

"I don't know. I left her in the dust a while ago," Sasuke said.

"Teme, what's the point of working together if you ditch your teammates."

"I don't need help, I'm an Uchiha, we're the best," Sasuke stated arrogantly.

"Right, and that's why it only took one person to wipe you guys out," Naruto drawled.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!" Sasuke roared. He was about to launch himself at Naruto when there was an explosion of smoke. When it cleared, Naruto found himself alone, and then he heard two shouts coming from the posts where the Team 7 had started. With a sigh, Naruto bounded off toward the screams.

When he came flying out of the forest, he saw a sight that nearly sent him to the ground laughing. Sasuke and Sakura were tied up to two of the stumps; Kakashi was standing nearby, his face hidden behind an orange book.

"Ah Naruto, nice of you to join us," Kakashi said without looking up.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked.

"Well, your teammates haven't truly grasped the concept of the test, hence them being tied up."

"Why isn't the dobe tide up, he didn't get a bell either," Sasuke snarled.

"That's true but Naruto did manage to understand the purpose of the test," Kakashi said, glaring at the Uchiha heir.

"And what was the purpose of the test sensei?" Sakura asked. Naruto face palmed, how could someone so smart be so stupid.

"Care to explain Naruto?" Kakashi said.

"The purpose of the test was teamwork, like I said earlier," the blonde genin said. "I told you that none of us had a chance against Kakashi-sensei individually but if we worked together, we have had one."

"He's right. In fact Naruto, your use of the Shadow Clone jutsu was very well planned out, as well as using Henge to make them look like Sasuke and Sakura."

"Thanks sensei. That was the idea, for you too think that we were all attacking at once, while the actual Sasuke and Sakura were supposed to surprise you and be able to get the bells."

"A well thought out plan," Kakashi said. "Now since Naruto was able to understand the test and at least attempt to get you two to go along, I've decided to give you one more chance but if you fail, you are all going back to the Academy. And because Sasuke and Sakura didn't trust Naruto, they won't be able to have lunch."

Kakashi vanished without another word, leaving Naruto standing in front of the bound Sasuke and Sakura. Naruto looked around before pulling out a kunai from his holster.

"What are you doing Naruto?" Sakura asked, eyeing the kunai warily.

"What does it look like I'm doing, I'm cutting you two loose," Naruto said.

"But Kakashi-sensei said not too," Sakura said.

"No, he said you two couldn't have lunch," Naruto countered. "But that's besides the point, we all need to eat and get back out strength if we want to have a chance. With a quick flick of his wrist, the blonde cut the bonds. The ropes fell to the ground, Sasuke and Sakura stood, rubbing their arms.

"But…" Sakura began.

"Sakura-chan, I know what sensei said, but like I said, we need to be at full strength. Being a ninja means that you do what you have too to survive," Naruto said. "And besides, I can't let you two hold me back," he added with a smirk, handing the two bentos to Sasuke and Sakura.

"What about you Naruto?" Sakura asked, looking at the box in her hands. Sasuke had dove right into the bento without sparing a glance at Naruto.

"Don't worry Sakura-chan, I've still got some leftovers from breakfast, though if you wouldn't mind being separated from one of those rice balls?" Naruto asked, using the Puppy Dog Eye Jutsu. Sakura's eye twitched but she handed over the rice ball.

"Thanks Sakura-chan."

The pink-haired genin rolled her eyes before digging into her own lunch.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" boomed Kakashi as he reappeared behind the three genin, lighting and thunder flashing in the background. "I thought I told you two that you wouldn't be getting any lunch."

"You did, but I gave them mine to make sure that they were at 100%," Naruto said. "We're stronger together than we are alone."

Sasuke and Sakura looked at Naruto like he had grown a second head. '_He's taking the fall for us_,' they both thought.

"You guys," Kakashi growled, "pass," he finished with an eye smile.

"What?" Sasuke and Sakura cried, as Naruto heaved a sigh of relief.

"You three are the first ones to disobey me about eating lunch, as well as impressing me," Kakashi said. "Though Pinkie here needs to decide whether or not if she wants to be a ninja."

"What! Of course, I want to be a ninja," Sakura cried.

"Yeah well you are pathetic," Kakashi said. "All you did was run after emo-boy there, you didn't attempt to help your other teammate when he asked. In fact you both abandoned your comrade," he finished sternly. Sakura had the grace to look ashamed.

"Now listen well, you three have been taught the shinobi rules at the Academy. Well those who don't follow the rules are scum…but those who abandon their comrades and friends are worse than scum."

Naruto nodded, Sakura went red again while Sasuke glared at Kakashi with an expression of 'you're calling me scum.'

"Now you have the rest of the day off, we'll meet at the bridge at 8am tomorrow morning for some morning in-depth training, then in two days we'll start missions. Bye," Kakashi said before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

Naruto fell to the ground and heaved another sigh of relief. "That went well," he said looking at his two teammates.

"Whatever dobe," Sasuke snorted. "I would have gotten a bell by myself. I didn't need your help."

"Just like you didn't need my help getting out of Kakashi-sensei's Doton jutsu," Naruto said. "Look, you are a talented ninja but a solo ninja is much weaker than a team of ninja. You want to get strong, work for it. Strength isn't something that's handed out lightly, it must be earned."

Sasuke glared at Naruto, who looked calmly back at the Uchiha heir.

"Naruto, you said that you could perform the Kage Bunshin, how is that possible, you could barely make a regular clone at the Academy," Sakura said.

"Well, it didn't help that my instructors were sabotaged me," Naruto muttered. "I can't tell you more than that I trained my ass off and finally got good enough."

"But we graduated three days ago, you couldn't have improved that much," Sasuke scoffed. "There's no way a dobe like you can perform such a high-level technique."

Naruto's eyes narrowed, and stood up. He made a cross hand sign in front of his chest and cried, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Ten separate Narutos appeared, surrounding the stunned Sasuke and Sakura.

"This proof enough for you," the Narutos said in tandem. The other two-genin fell to their butts as the clones dispelled. "Now do you believe me?" Naruto asked sarcastically. "Look I'm going to get something to eat before heading home, would you two like to come along?"

Sasuke huffed and turned away.

"Sakura-chan, this isn't a date," Naruto said. "I'm asking my teammate if she'd like to get some food and get to know each other better we'll be working together."

Sakura bit her lip. She didn't know whether to accept or not. Ever since she had started the Academy, Naruto had been asking her out almost daily, but she had always shot him down.

'_Sasuke-kun is the only one I love,_' she thought. '_This could be just another stunt._'

_**'Maybe but Naruto's changed since the exam and he's pretty cute without the orange,'**_** Inner Sakura chided.**

'_WHAT!_' Sakura cried. '_Since when do I think Naruto is cute?_'

_**'Well since now,'**_** Inner Sakura chided.**

"Sakura-chan, are you all right?" Naruto's voice cut through Sakura's musing. "You kind of spaced out there."

"Stop that Naruto," Sakura snapped, grabbing Naruto's hand, which had been waving in front of her face.

"Sorry Sakura-chan, so do you want to get something to eat?"

"I guess…but this isn't a date and you have to answer some of my questions. Oh and don't tell me its ramen."

Naruto's face fell. "Well, where would you like to go?" he asked, trying to cover up his feeling of dread.

Sakura blinked, this wasn't the overly confident and brash Naruto that she knew from the Academy or this new, calm, collected Naruto that she had met today. There was something in Naruto's eyes that she had never seen before: fear.

"Naruto, are you all right?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Naruto said, with a broad smile. But Sakura noticed that the smile was forced, it didn't light up his eyes. '_His bright blue eyes,'_ she thought.

"There's a new place that just opened up, we could go there," Sakura said, ignoring her inner comment about Naruto's eyes.

"Ok," Naruto said brightly. "Lead the way."

Sakura watched Naruto as they made their way to the restaurant, barely listening to Naruto ramble on about something. As they walked down the street, she noticed that most of the people they passed either avoided them or shot Naruto hate-filled glares. There were whispers of 'demon', 'devil-child' and 'murderer.' Sakura was sure that Naruto heard these as well but he just ignored it, though she noticed Naruto's eyes seemed to tighten.

"Here we are Naruto," Sakura said as they reached the restaurant. It was a small teashop. "Come on," she told Naruto.

Naruto followed Sakura into the shop, with a healthy bit of trepidation. Sakura found a couple of seats, while Naruto slinked in behind her and sat down, keeping his head down.

"What's wrong Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"Nothing Sakura-chan, just feel a bit out of my element," Naruto said.

"What do you mean?"

"I usually don't go to this type of store," Naruto said.

"Why not?"

Naruto took a deep breath before saying, "Sakura-chan, I'm sure you noticed the looks that I was getting from the villagers while we walked over here." She nodded. "Well, let's just say I only eat ramen because that's all I can get."

"What do you mean?"

"Hi there, what can I get for…you today?" a waitress asked, though she trailed off when she spotted Naruto, who looked down.

"Can I get some green tea and pocky?" Sakura asked.

"Of course," the waitress said. She turned to leave.

"Wait, you didn't get Naruto's order," Sakura said. Naruto grimaced.

"It's ok Sakura-chan," Naruto said softly.

"We don't serve 'him' here," the waitress snarled.

Sakura was taken aback. "What do you mean? Naruto is a ninja of the village, why won't you serve him?"

"Sakura-chan, its ok," Naruto whispered. "I'm not really hungry, it's fine. I'll just go and I'll see you tomorrow."

Naruto rose from the table, pulled out his wallet, which was a green frog, placed a couple of ryo on the table and walked out.

Sakura watched her blonde haired teammate walk out of the shop, before turning back to the waitress, who had a smug smile on her face.

"What was that about?" she cried. "Why wouldn't you serve him? Sure Naruto is annoying, and a bit of an idiot but that's no reason to treat him like that."

"You don't know what you're talking about," the waitress sneered. "That boy is a demon, he is the bane of the village and should have been killed when he was born. We will never serve his kind her, now either sit down and shut up, or get out."

Sakura glared at the waitress, stood up, grabbed the money that Naruto had left and stormed off.

"Yeah, go run after him, you demon whore," someone yelled after her. Sakura froze in the doorway and looked over her shoulder. The shop went silent, as the room was flooded with Sakura's killing intent. Most of the people in the shop were civilians, so there were quite a few shivers and people falling to their knees. Sakura spun off and vanished, looking in vain for her blonde-haired teammate. Naruto had vanished.


	3. The Makings of a Team

**Disclaimer: All recognizable works from the Naruto universe are the property of Naruto's creator, which isn't me. I'm not doing this for money, just for fun and the experience.**

The next morning found Team 7 waiting for their sensei again at the same training ground that they had met the previous morning. Naruto was reading from a scroll, Sasuke was off brooding and Sakura was switching her gaze between the two boys.

The previous day had opened Sakura's eyes. She had known that the majority of the village didn't very well like Naruto, but she didn't know why. She remembered playing with Naruto before they went to the Academy, but once she had told her parents about the cute blonde boy with whiskers that had saved her from bullies, they immediately told her not to associate with that boy. She hadn't asked why, they were her parents and they knew what was best.

So she began playing with Ino after the blonde had saved her from some other bullies. And with Ino, she had grown attracted to Sasuke, like the majority of the girls her age. Looking back, she wasn't really sure why she was attracted to Sasuke. Sure he was cute, on the verge of becoming extremely handsome with his dark hair, eyes and aloof attitude. Her mother had told Sakura about the Uchiha Massacre five years previous, how Sasuke was the only survivor, and that he would need plenty of love and attention.

Sakura was brought out of her thoughts by the appearance of Kakashi in a poof of smoke, one hand raised in greeting.

"Yo," the tardy jonin said with an eye smile.

"You're late," Naruto and Sakura cried together. Sasuke just grunted at the appearance of the one-eyed jonin.

"Well there was this old woman…" Kakashi began, but Naruto cut him off.

"Give it a rest sensei," the blonde said, not even looking up from his scroll. "Can we just get started?"

"Well then, if you're all so eager to begin, let's start by going over each other's skills," Kakashi said.

"What are you talking about sensei?" Sakura asked.

"I mean, what can each of you do," Kakashi answered. "We're a team for the foreseeable future so we'll need to know each others' strength and weaknesses."

"But didn't our Academy scores show those?"

"True, those were good overviews but for some they were outdated," the silver-haired jonin said, looking at Naruto. "Since we have a couple of days before our team is on active duty, we'll use it to train and to better acquainted with our skills."

Naruto and Sakura nodded while Sasuke grunted.

"Good, now who wants to go first?" Kakashi asked.

"I'll go," Naruto said. "Well, I guess my biggest skills are my Shadow Clones, my stamina and…actually that's it. I've been looking over some scrolls of mine, and trying to get my Taijutsu up as well. Oh, and I'd also say my stealth skills are pretty good."

Sasuke scoffed.

"Something you wish to add Sasuke?" Kakashi asked.

"The dobe doesn't know the meaning of stealth," the raven-haired boy sneered. Kakashi hid a frown behind his mask, while Sakura bristled. Naruto however didn't react, just returned to reading his scroll.

"Well then, how do you explain me being able to paint the Hokage monument in board daylight?" Naruto asked, without looking up. "In an bright orange jumpsuit, and then I was able to evade chunin, jonin and even some ANBU, until Iruka-sensei found me. I still want to know how he does it, he's always the one who finds me."

Kakashi grinned behind his mask, as Sasuke's mouth fell open for a spilt second then returned to his sneering.

"There's no way a dobe like you could evade ANBU, they're the elite…well second to the Uchiha," Sasuke said.

Naruto and Kakashi rolled their eyes at the young man, while Sakura stared, wide-eyed at Sasuke. '_Was he always this arrogant and stuck-up,_' Sakura thought. '_I mean, sure the Uchiha were a very powerful clan but then against it only took one person to wipe them out._'

"All right then Mr. Elite, what can you do?" Kakashi said. '_Is this kid really Obito's cousin?_'

"My skills are my expertise in the Uchiha clan's Taijutsu style, my expertise with Katon jutsus and once my Sharigan awakens, I'll be unbeatable," Sasuke said arrogantly.

"Right then, ok Pinky your turn."

"Well, I guess my best skills are my mind and my chakra control," Sakura said. Kakashi nodded.

"Good, now what about weaknesses, or things that you feel you need to work on?" Kakashi asked.

"Weaknesses, the Uchiha don't have any weaknesses," Sasuke scoffed.

'_I think we found one,_' Kakashi thought.

"Well, I'm not perfect like the teme there," Naruto said. "But my weakness is my chakra control, I freely admit that I'm horrible at it. My control problems are only offset by the fact that I have the most chakra of anyone in our class." '_More likely, I have more chakra than anyone except for Jiji in the entire village,_' he finished in his mind.

Kakashi nodded. '_He probably has more chakra than his entire class combined. And from his file, he can't do the Bunshin but like he said, that's more due to his control not technique._'

"There's no way a clan less orphan has more chakra than an elite Uchiha," Sasuke cried.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. '_If it wasn't for my promise to Jiji, you wouldn't be thinking that._'

"Look teme, you don't know who my parents were, I doubt anyone here truly knows who they were, so for all we know I could be the son of the Fourth Hokage, or something," Naruto said.

Silence fell over Team 7 like a wave. None of them could tell if Naruto was being serious or not. Kakashi was looking at the blonde genin with a narrowed eye, while Sasuke and Sakura were looking at Naruto with gaping mouths.

A snort broke the silence, and then harsh laughter followed. It was Sasuke. "Come one dobe, do you really expect us to believe that you're the son of a great ninja like the Fourth, when you can barely throw a kunai properly."

The sound of metal whizzing through the air, then a soft thud followed Sasuke's jeer. Three, well two and a half, sets of eyes were staring at a quivering kunai that had lodged itself in the ground right between Sasuke's legs.

"How was that teme? Did I throw it right?" Naruto asked sweetly.

'_What the! I didn't even see the kid move,_' Kakashi thought.

'_When did Naruto get so fast?_' Sakura thought. '_And what was that about him being the son of the Fourth? He can't, can he?_'

"Ha dobe, you missed," Sasuke sneered, even though he was trembling ever so slightly.

"Who said I was aiming to end your chances of continuing the Uchiha clan," Naruto retorted with an ice-cold glare.

Kakashi froze. '_That look,_' he thought. '_It's just like the one sensei had before he had to kill someone. But Naruto can't know that he's sensei's son, can he?_'

Realization struck Kakashi faster than a kunai. '_He never said that he didn't know who his parents were, only that Sasuke, Sakura and possibly I didn't. But how did he figure it out?_'

Naruto saw Kakashi start out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head to lock eyes with the jonin, and gave a tiny nod.

"Ok moving on, Sakura what do you feel is your biggest weakness?" Kakashi asked, trying to steer the conversation back into safer waters.

"It's probably my lack of stamina, I was exhausted yesterday and I didn't really do anything. Also while my chakra control is very good, that's only because I don't have a lot of chakra to begin with," the pink-haired girl said.

Kakashi smiled. '_There might be hope for you yet Haruno Sakura,_' he thought. "All right then. Now why do you think I asked for your weaknesses or areas of improvement?"

It was Sakura who answered. "Because sensei, you wanted us to know what our limitations are. Also this made us think about our skills and what we need to do to get better."

"Correct. And I think that Naruto has the right idea for our first training exercise. Chakra control," Kakashi said. "Now I'm sure you've all done those control exercises where you try and stick a leaf to your forehead with only chakra." He got two nods and an "Hn," from Sasuke. "Well then, we're going to learn how to climb trees."

"Climb trees," Sasuke scoffed. "What's the point? We can all climb trees, even the dobe. Hell, he probably lives in a tree."

A chill fell over the clearing as Naruto's hackles rose.

"Sasuke, that's enough," Kakashi barked, glaring at the Uchiha, who just smirked back. "You'll be climbing trees without using your hands."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"Let me show you," the jonin said, getting to his feet. He walked over to the base of a tree and paused, making a hand sign. Then he placed a foot on the trunk and proceeded to walk up the tree. "Just like that," Kakashi said, hanging upside down from a branch halfway up the trunk.

"So cool," Naruto said, a gleam showing in his eye.

"Take these kunai and mark your spot, then try and surpass it the next time," Kakashi said, throwing three kunai at the genin's feet. "Now there are two ways of starting this exercise; you can get a running start or you can lay down at the base of the tree with your feet against the trunk and start that way. Now the point of this is to help you learn to channel your chakra. Your feet are the hardest place to do this since they're the farthest point from your center. Now you need to channel the right amount of chakra; too much, and you get pushed off, too little and you won't stick to the trunk."

Naruto and Sakura nodded, while Sasuke huffed. The three genin made their way to separate trees. Sasuke began by racing toward his tree. He made it up five steps before his foot slipped; quickly he slashed a line in the trunk before back flipping to the ground.

Naruto lied down at the base of the tree, putting his feet against the trunk. Closing his eyes, he channeled some chakra into the soles of his feet until he could feel them stick to the trunk. Grinning, he took an experimental step, once again feeling his chakra draw his foot to the trunk like a magnet. Slowly, he began making his way up the trunk, pausing with every step to make sure his footing was secure.

"Come on slow pokes," a girl's voice called from a third tree. Sakura was sitting on a branch about 30ft off the ground. "This is easy."

"Well it looks like our pink-haired kunoichi is the closest to becoming Hokage, and maybe the elite Uchiha isn't so elite," Kakashi said.

Sasuke alternated glaring at Sakura and Kakashi. Sakura was glaring at Kakashi for putting her in the spotlight.

"Don't say that Kakashi-sensei," Sakura cried. "I mean I'm exhausted just from climbing this high."

"Ok, well then Sakura, rest up there until you've regained enough chakra to walk down, then keep going."

"Why?"

"You need to enlarge your chakra reserves, and this exercise will do that," Kakashi said.

"Oh," Sakura said, looking mollified. Getting to her feet, she channeled her chakra into the soles of her feet and began making her way down the trunk. She could feel her chakra being drained with each step. Suddenly, she felt the remainder of her chakra leave her and her grip dropped.

"Aieee!" Sakura screamed as her mind went blank. She saw the ground rushing up to meet her, the last thing she was ever going to see.

"Gotcha Sakura-chan," a familiar voice said.

Sakura opened her eyes, she wasn't looking into the cold, hard earth, no, she was looking into the clear blue eyes of Naruto.

"You gave us quite a scare there Sakura," Kakashi said. '_Naruto moved faster than even I did, all I saw was this blonde shimmer,_' the silver-haired jonin thought. '_He can't know the Flying Thunder God, can he?_'

"Naruto, you can let Sakura down now, unless there's something you aren't telling us," Kakashi said with an eye smile. Both genin blushed, well also a trickle of blood seeped from Naruto's nose as he realized how he had caught Sakura. One hand was supporting her legs just below her butt while the other was supporting her upper body with his hand resting just to the side of her breast.

"Naruto-baka!" Sakura cried, leaping out of his arms and planting her fist into the back of Naruto's head, sending him into the dirt. She turned away, hiding the blush that had re-bloomed on her face, as she remembered the feel of Naruto's arms holding her.

'_This is Naruto-baka I'm thinking about. I love Sasuke-kun,_' Sakura thought.

_**'Maybe but Sasuke didn't come catch us,' Inner Sakura said. 'He didn't even look over.'**_

"Gomen Sakura-chan," Naruto said, rubbing the lump on his head as he stood up.

Sakura felt guilt settle in her stomach as she realized that she had overreacted. "No Naruto, I'm sorry. I overreacted you saved me and I hit you. Thank you for saving me," she said.

"It's ok Sakura-chan," Naruto said, flashing a bright smile. "Why don't you take a break and get something to eat, you'll be able to recover some chakra. Here I've some rations if you want some?"

Sakura blinked. '_Since when does Naruto eat anything other than ramen?_' she wondered.

"It's not ramen, is it?" she asked. Naruto chuckled, which made Sakura feel warm.

"No, it's not. Can't really seal ramen in a storage scroll," he said. Naruto reached into his pack and pulled out a scroll.

"You know sealing? How, that's not taught at the Academy," Sasuke asked.

"I picked it up around, I'm sure not everything you know is taught at the Academy," Naruto said. "And I'm only a beginner."

'_He truly is sensei's son, learning sealing at his age, alone,_' Kakashi thought. "All right, let's take a break for lunch," he said.

Naruto grinned. He made a hand sign and with a puff of smoke, a pile of fruit and other rations appeared. He picked up an apple and took a bite.

"Dig in, there's plenty," Naruto said. Sakura took an apple while Kakashi politely declined in favor of his own rations. Sasuke glared at Naruto and stormed off by himself.

"Naruto, how do you know this? Sasuke-kun is right, we didn't learn any of this at the Academy?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah well, you'd be surprised at what people throw out also when I found out that my…I mean the Fourth Hokage was a master at sealing, and he's the man I want to surpass, so I decided to learn it," Naruto said, inwardly cringing at his slip.

Sakura didn't seem to have noticed but Kakashi narrowed his one visible eye. '_So he does know, I wonder how he found out,_' Kakashi thought.

"Hn, there's no way a dobe like you could ever surpass the Fourth," Sasuke scoffed from his spot across the clearing.

Naruto was instantly on his feet. "Whatever teme, I will surpass all the previous Hokage when I become Hokage," he declared, his eyes bright and determined.

Kakashi hid a grin behind his mask. '_Oh Kush-nee-chan, he is most definitely your son. And he might just do it._'

"Hn," the Uchiha grunted.

Naruto glared at the raven-haired boy before pulling a scroll from his pouch and opened it.

"What's that?" Sakura asked.

"A scroll I found about seals," Naruto said evasively.

Team 7 spent the rest of the day training; chakra control as well as light sparring. It was nearly 5pm when Kakashi called an end to the day.

"All right, let's call it a day," Kakashi said. "Tomorrow, we have out last day before we start taking missions. We'll meet at the bridge again at 7am. Ja ne." He vanished without another word, Sasuke followed suit while Sakura looked on despondently.

"See you later Sakura-chan," Naruto said as he finished packing up his equipment.

"Wait Naruto," she cried. Naruto turned to face her. "I want to ask you about yesterday. Why did you leave the restaurant? Why wouldn't they serve you, your pranks couldn't have been that bad."

"Sakura-chan, I can't really say much. I don't know exactly what _I_ did to make the village hate me, but it wasn't because of my pranks. Sure they might have annoyed some people but I would never purposely hurt anyone with them," he said.

"Then why do the villagers seem to hate you so much?" Sakura pressed.

"I'm sorry Sakura-chan, but I can't tell you. Look you better get home, I'll see you tomorrow."

"But Naruto…" Sakura began but Naruto vanished before she could continue. The pink-haired genin admitted defeat for now. '_I will find you out Naruto,_' she thought.

Naruto was hightailing it back to the Namikaze estate. He knew that he had dodged a bullet with Sakura regarding the Kyuubi, but he also know that she wouldn't let this go.

'_Kakashi-sensei suspects that I know about my parents, maybe I can ask him about Tou-san since he was Kakashi's sensei._'

Naruto entered the house and began looking for a scroll that had caught his eye the previous night that he hadn't had time to look through. It was one of his father's, called 'Training Tips.'

"There you are," Naruto said, finding the scroll where he had left it, on his nightstand.

Unfurling the scroll, Naruto found the part about resistance seals. Minato had always been praised for his speed and here was his secret. The resistance seal was one that acted like a full body gravity seal; it made seem that the wearer was moving through water or mud depending on the level. By pumping chakra into the seal, Naruto could control the level. This training method was actually three-fold; speed, strength and control. By using the seal, Naruto could train in all these aspects at once.

"I'll start using the seal tomorrow," Naruto decided. "I need to practice writing it before I draw it on the seal paper I'll be using."

And that's what he did. Naruto spent the next three hours practicing writing the seal on different pieces of paper while he had several dozen clones work on chakra control. He knew from reading his father's notes that it was possible to overload the seal, which would up the level too quickly for his body to adjust, which could kill him. Naruto fell asleep, while his clones continued working on the seal and chakra control.

Morning found Naruto up at the crack of dawn preparing to place the resistance seal on his chest. His clones had spent the night practicing, and after regaining the combined memories and experiences of nearly 30 clones, he was ready.

Dipping his brush into the ink, Naruto took a deep breath before using sure and practiced strokes, and quickly constructed the seal. It only took two minutes but it felt longer for Naruto as he needed to make sure he didn't make a mistake. Placing the seal on his chest, Naruto challenged some chakra into the seal. Immediately, Naruto felt as if something was pulling him down. He tried moving his arm, but it felt like he was moving through wet sand.

"It worked, good thing its only on level one or I wouldn't be able to move," Naruto said. "But I want to see if I can increase it a level a week."

After a breakfast of eggs and ramen, Naruto pulled on his outfit and left the compound. Even after just getting to the top of the Hokage monument, Naruto could feel the resistance making extremely difficult to fully move. He felt as if something was both pulling his body down as well as if there was a strong focused wind pushing against him.

"Naruto, you're late," Sakura cried when Naruto reached Team's 7 meeting place.

"Gomen Sakura-chan, my alarm didn't go off. And besides how can I be late if Kakashi-sensei isn't even here yet," Naruto said. Sakura paused.

"Still, we said we'd meet at 7am, and we should be on time even if sensei is late," Sakura said. "Right Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn," Sasuke grunted.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "So what training do you think we're doing today?" he asked. "I hope its not more chakra control exercises."

"Well, you need it," Sasuke said. "You said yourself that you sucked at it."

Naruto bristled. "Yeah I did, but considering how much we did yesterday and what I did last night, I want a break."

"What did you do last night?" Sakura asked.

"I used my clones to help me with my control," Naruto said.

"What can clones do to help you?" Sakura asked.

"Well, everything you learn with the clones, you get their memories. That's why they make ideal recon or scouting aides."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked.

"Everything that my clones learn, I learn when they dispel, though the memory backlash is pretty rough."

"Teach me," Sasuke demanded.

"What?"

"Teach me the Shadow Clone jutsu."

"No."

"What! I'm an Uchiha, you should be honored that I'm asking you the honor or teaching me."

"I said no. And you're not asking, you're demanding that I teach you. Besides, you don't have the chakra to perform the technique, maybe in a couple of years. A shadow clone splits your chakra evenly between the clones, it's a kinjutsu for a reason."

Sasuke fumed and reached for a kunai, but froze when he felt the cold sting of another kunai at his neck.

"Do you really want to try that?" Naruto growled. A shadow clone was behind Sasuke with the kunai at Sasuke's neck

'_When did he create a Shadow Clone?_' Sasuke thought.

There was a poof of smoke and Kakashi appeared to that sight.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Teme here demanded that I teach him the Kage Bunshin but I told him that he doesn't have the chakra reserves for it," Naruto said.

"I'm an Uchiha, I should be able to learn these high powered jutsus," Sasuke cried.

Kakashi looked up at the sky as if to ask for guidance. "Sasuke, Naruto is right," the jonin said. "You don't have enough chakra to perform the Kage Bunshin. Maybe in time you will."

"So what are we going to do today sensei?" Sakura asked.

"Well, since we did chakra control yesterday, today we'll be working on Taijutsu, with some sparring," Kakashi said.

Naruto grinned. Here was a chance for him to beat up the duck head, and get away with it.

'_I'll have to take it easy though, I don't know how much the resistance seal I put on will effect me,_' Naruto thought.

"Naruto, why don't you and Sasuke get warmed up, while I talk with Sakura," Kakashi said.

Sasuke sneered at Naruto. "Read to lose dobe?" the raven-haired boy said.

"Don't know teme, hasn't happened yet," Naruto retorted.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and launched himself at Naruto as soon as they were ready. Naruto made to block but the seal he had placed on his body made his body feel sluggish. Naruto was able to deflect most of Sasuke's strike, though this was again because of the seal.

"Is that all you can do dobe?" Sasuke sneered. "I mean this is pathetic, but coming from a clan less nobody, I've never heard of a clan called Uzumaki."

Naruto gritted his teeth but remained silent. '_Easy Naruto, he's trying to make you angry…and succeeding. But if I get angry, I can't focus. Stay calm and focus._'

Naruto's eyes hardened into icy chips and he settled into the Taijutsu style of his mother's clan, 'The Current of the Whirlpool.'

'_Where did he learn that stance?_' Kakashi pondered. '_That's Kusa-neechan's style._'

'_What style is that? I don't recognize it,_' Sasuke thought. '_But it doesn't matter, that dead-last will never beat me._'

Suddenly Naruto surged forward, like shot out of a cannon. Sasuke smirked and advanced as well. The raven-haired boy threw a lighting quick punch at the blonde boy but to Sasuke's shock, Naruto easily dodged the blow, grabbed Sasuke's outstretched wrist, and using the boy's own momentum, hurled him across the field.

Sasuke was so stunned that he didn't even try to recover, not that it mattered as Naruto was on him in a second. Pain filled Sasuke's mind as he felt fists, elbows, knees and feet connect with his body.

Kakashi and Sakura were stunned; neither had seen Naruto move with such grace and fluidity. Naruto moved like water, effortlessly dodging Sasuke's attacks, while striking like a maelstrom, swift and unpredictably.

A minute later it was over, Sasuke had collapsed to the ground, bruises quickly appearing on his face and arms, while Naruto was standing above him, sweating slightly and a couple of bruises on his forearms and one on his cheek.

"Um ok, I think that's enough for today," Kakashi said. "Sakura, I want you to review the Academy's taijutsu katas until you can do them without thinking, then work on your chakra reserves by doing the tree walking exercise some more."

"But sensei," Sakura began.

"Not now Sakura, I promise I'll help you tomorrow but I need to get Sasuke looked at."

"I can help you Sakura-chan," Naruto said as he walked over. "I'm still having some problems with my chakra control, so if you could give me some tips that would be great?"

"Ok Naruto," Sakura said.

"Great, then I'll see you both tomorrow here at 9am," Kakashi said before vanishing in a swirl of leaves with a barely conscious Sasuke.

"Naruto, what did you do to Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked.

"I beat him in a friendly spar, why?" the blonde said.

"Baka, I know that. But what was that taijutsu style, that wasn't something we were taught at the Academy."

"It's a style that I found in a scroll, I tried it out and it felt more natural than what they taught you at the Academy."

Sakura nodded. "Anyway Sakura-chan, was there something else you wanted?" Naruto asked.

"No, I'll see you tomorrow," she said.

"Bye Sakura-chan," Naruto called as the pink-haired girl walked off.

Once she had vanished, Naruto summoned fifty clones. "Alright, half of you will be working on hand seals speed, while the rest of you will be working on our taijutsu style. Now get to work!"

"Yosh!" fifty Narutos cried.

It was almost dark when the clones were all exhausted. Naruto was breathing heavily, hands on his knees.

"All right, dispel five at a time at one minute intervals," Naruto commanded, he didn't want to be overwhelmed by the memory backlash.

Ten minutes later, all of Naruto's clones had dispersed, and Naruto was sifting through the memories when he felt someone approach.

"Hello Kakashi-sensei," the blonde said.

"Naruto."

"How's the teme?"

Kakashi hid a smirk. "He'll be fine, though he is wondering how you managed to beat him."

Naruto snorted. "Well, he can try to figure it out. Was there something else you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Actually yes, Naruto, what do you know about the Fourth Hokage?"


	4. Kakashi knows, Tora, a Rivalry is formed

**Disclaimer: All things from the _Naruto_ universe are the property of ****Masashi Kishimoto. I might add some original jutsus and plot points, but most of this is all Kishimoto's. Not trying to make money off this, just having some fun.**

"That's quite a loaded question Kakashi-sensei," Naruto replied.

"How so?"

"Well considering the Fourth was arguably the greatest ninja since…ever," Naruto said. "What would you like to know about him? Do you want to know that he was the genin student of Jiraiya of the Sannin? Or how he became your sensei during the Third Shinobi War? How he garnered the moniker 'Yellow Flash' when he wiped out an entire Iwa army by using the Hiraishin? What about how he became the only ninja to ever reach the SS-rank and 'Flee-on-Sight' order in the Bingo Book? Or how he became the youngest Kage ever? Or even how he sacrificed himself to seal the Kyubi in his newborn son?"

Kakashi's visible eye widened at the final question. "So you do know?" he asked quietly.

"Yes, I know that I am Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto, son of the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato, and Uzumaki Kushina, the Whirlpool's Red-Haired Maelstrom."

Kakashi sighed and sat down next to Naruto. "How did you find out?" he asked.

Naruto snorted. "Come on, I'm not that much of an idiot. I'm surprised that the villagers haven't put the pieces together. I look just like him without the whiskers."

"The villagers probably don't want to realize that you are sensei's son," Kakashi sighed.

"Yeah, they only see me as the 'demon child' so they are in denial about the obvious."

"Naruto, what truly is your dream?" Kakashi asked. "I noticed that you seemed like you wanted to say something more when I asked, also that almost slip when you were talking about Fuinjutsu."

Caught that didn't you Inu-san," Naruto chuckled. "Don't look so surprised sensei. I knew about Jiji's order to have me followed by ANBU since I was five. And ANBU standards have been slipping for the last few years. I mean isn't chasing me around the village sort of like a rite of passage for the newbies?"

Kakashi chuckled. "I guess I can see that. But you didn't answer my question."

"My dream is to become Hokage, protect this village and its people with my life if need be and to surpass my father."

Kakashi hid a smile at Naruto's answer.

"Sensei, do you think my parents would be proud of me?" Naruto asked softly.

"Yes Naruto, I think they would be extremely proud of you. You embody them both so much."

"Thank you sensei."

"Of course Naruto, now I think its time for you to be heading home, we start missions tomorrow," Kakashi said.

"Ok, good night sensei," Naruto said before vanishing in a swirl of light.

'_That wasn't the Flying Thunder God, that was Shunshin but faster. Sensei, Kushina-nee-chan, you both would be so proud of your son. He might just surpass all those before him._'

The next morning found Team 7 waiting for Kakashi to arrive. Naruto was sitting on the bridge, a Fuinjutsu scroll in his lap, while Sasuke was shooting him flares of barely suppressed rage and jealousy, while Sakura was sneaking looks at Sasuke and looking around for Kakashi.

"Yo!" Kakashi said, appearing in a puff of smoke.

"You're late!" Naruto and Sakura cried, fingers pointing at him.

"Yeah, sorry, I was on my way here when I realized…"

"Lair!" Sakura cried.

"But I didn't even finish," Kakashi said.

"It doesn't matter," Sasuke said. "Let's just get our missions done."

Team 7 and Kakashi, who was crying anime tears, made their way to the mission hall. They entered the hall and saw the other rookie genin teams waiting with their senseis.

"Sasuke-kun!" Ino cried. "There you are."

"Back off Ino-pig," Sakura growled.

Naruto ignored the two girls' antics and walked over to where Shikamaru and Choji were standing, Ino's teammates.

"What's up?"

"Nothing much Naruto," Choji said between mouthfuls of chips.

"Troublesome," muttered the Nara heir. "So have you decided to finally take things seriously."

Naruto smirked. "Never could put anything past you but yeah, its time for the world to see what the 'dead-last' can do," he muttered back.

"Naruto-baka, come on," Sakura cried.

"I don't know how you can stand that troublesome girl," Shikamaru said as Naruto pushed himself off the wall.

"Well, you learn to tune it out after awhile," he said as he followed his teammates and sensei into the Mission Dispersal Office, (MDO).

"Ah Team 7 welcome," the Hokage said. "So are you all ready for your first mission?"

'_Pffft, 'mission' you mean chores jiji_,' Naruto thought.

"Ah, here we go,' the Hokage said, handing the mission scroll to Kakashi, who opened it."

"Well, right off the bat we get the 'Tora retrieval' mission," the jonin said. "I wonder who has the record?"

"Record sensei?" Sakura asked.

"It seems that the Fire Daimyo's cat has escaped again and we've been asked to retrieve him."

"What! We're supposed to find a missing cat," Naruto cried.

"Oh don't be so quick to judge Tora, that cat is the bane of all genin teams. We have a board that has the times for the fastest recovery," the Hokage said chuckling. He pointed off to the side. Naruto looked over and saw a plague that had the title 'Tora Retrieval Times' above it. Naruto walked over and read off the record time.

"3:26:47, by Team 7, led by Jonin Namikaze with Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Obito and Izuna Rin," Naruto said. "So your team holds the record Kakashi-sensei?"

"That's right," Kakashi said. "That cat is really tricky, I'm amazed that he's still around."

"Well then Naruto-kun, do you want this mission or is it too easy for you?" the Hokage said.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the old man, '_I know what you're doing jiji, and it's working._'

"All right Old man, I guess Konoha's next Hokage can take this one, I mean if a team led by the Fourth Hokage took almost four hours to do this, we'll be able to beat that record," Naruto said.

"Naruto-baka, show the Hokage some respect," Sakura cried.

"But I always call him that because he is old," Naruto said. "And he's like my grandfather."

Hiruzen felt his chest contract at Naruto's words. "Thank you Naruto, that's very kind of you."

Naruto blushed and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Well, you always said that the Hokage is like the father of the village, but you're too old to just be a dad so you're the grandfather."

Kakashi, Sakura, Sasuke and Iruka all sweatdropped at Naruto's words, the Hokage however laughed deeply.

"Ah Naruto, you never cease to amaze me," Hiruzen said. "So then are you going to become the 'father' of this village?"

"Believe it!" Naruto said, confidence shining in his eyes. Everyone in the room could feel that he would do whatever it took to achieve his dream.

"Naruto," Sakura whispered. She had never seen someone so confident in themselves, confidence was something that Sakura had had trouble with. She wasn't from a ninja clan like Sasuke or Ino, nor did she have a lot of chakra like Naruto. All she had was her brain and chakra control.

Kakashi smiled at the blonde genin. '_This kid is truly something special,_' the jonin thought. '_He doesn't back down and there's this aura about him that makes you feel that he can achieve anything._'

"All right then, it seems that we have a cat to catch," Kakashi said.

Team 7 followed their sensei out the door, leaving Iruka and the Hokage in the MDO alone

"He really has grown," Iruka said.

"That he has Iruka-kun," the Hokage said. "And I won't be surprised if he does take the Hat someday and surpass his father."

"How are we supposed to find this cat? He could be anywhere," Sakura said as Team 7 made their way outside the Hokage Tower. "There's only four of us, we can't cover the whole village."

"I think you're forgetting something Sakura-chan," Naruto said. "We have an entire army at our disposal."

"What are you talking about dobe?" Sasuke sneered.

"Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto cried. There was an explosion of smoke and all around them, around a hundred Narutos were now staring at the other members of Team 7 and Kakashi.

"How is this possible?" Sakura asked. Sasuke looked stuck between awed and furious.

'_How can this clan less dobe produce so many clones,_' he fumed.

Even Kakashi was stunned. '_I've never seen so many solid clones, even Minato-sensei couldn't do this much,_' the one-eyes jonin thought.

"All right, you all know what to do," Naruto called to his army. "Go in pairs, when you've found the cat, corner it and have one dispel so we can find you."

"Yosh!"

"Scatter!" Naruto cried, and with a slash of his arm, the clones vanished. Turning back to his teammates and sensei, he saw their shocked looks and grinned sheepishly. "I hope that's not cheating sensei."

Kakashi had to use all his self-control to not fall to the ground laughing. "No Naruto, I don't think it is, though I don't think there are many, if any, genins can use the Shadow Clone Jutsu like you can," Kakashi said.

Naruto chuckled. "Probably not," he said. Just then he stiffened, "Gotcha, come on, one of my clones found Tora over by the Nara compound."

He sprinted off without another word. Sasuke and Sakura looked at Kakashi, who gave them an eye smile before vanishing in a swirl of leaves. The two genin growled before leaping off after their hyperactive teammate and tardy, perverted sensei.

"Nice of you two to join us," Naruto said as Sasuke and Sakura appeared. Kakashi was also there, his face hidden by his Icha Icha book.

"Well where is the cat?" Sasuke asked. "You said that you had caught it."

"No, I said that a clone had found him. But that cat is wilily, he was able to evade my clones' attempt to grab him. I need your help," Naruto said.

"Hn," Sasuke scoffed. "Dobe, can't even catch a cat."

"Hey, if it wasn't for Naruto, we wouldn't even know where to start," Sakura said.

Naruto turned to Sakura in amazement. '_She just stood up for me, to the TEME to boot,_' he thought.

"All right, all right, calm down," Kakashi said. Even he was surprised that Sakura had defended Naruto. "Here," he handed the three genin a radio, "Use these to keep in contact."

Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke put the radios on and leapt off.

"Scarecrow here, distance to target?" Kakashi's voice crackled through the radio.

"Fox here, 5 meters."

"Blossom here, 8 meters."

"Sasuke, 12 meters."

"Come again, didn't catch that," Naruto said, his voice laced with amusement.

"Hell no, I'm not using that name, why did Naruto get to choose the codenames," Sasuke snapped.

"Because he was the one who found Tora in the first place DB," Kakashi said. Naruto snickered while Sakura had to stifle a giggle.

"Don't call me that," Sasuke snapped.

"Whatever DB, next time you can pick the codenames," Naruto said. "I'm in position Scarecrow."

"This is Blossom, I'm ready to go as well."

"Right…go," Kakashi barked.

Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke burst through the brush toward the dusty brown cat with a red ribbon on its ear. The cat, Tora screeched as he bolted off out of sight. Naruto grinned as he sent the mental command to his clones to tighten the net.

"Gotcha!" Naruto cried as he leapt over a fence, surprising the feisty feline that had been cornered by a pair of his clones. The cat made to escape by darting between the clones and the original, but Naruto was just quick enough to catch the cat before it could slip through a crack in the fence.

Naruto handed the cat to a clone before touching the mic of his radio. "This is Fox, target has been captured, repeat, I've got the cat."

"Good job Naruto, confirm that the target has a red ribbon on his left ear," Kakashi said.

"That's confirmed, it's Tora," Naruto said.

"Well then, we better get going if we want to set that record," Kakashi said.

"Hey Sakura-chan, you want to hold him," Naruto said, holding the struggling cat in front of him. "I don't think Tora like me very much."

"Ok," Sakura said. Naruto handed Tora over, who immediately calmed. "Oh, you're good kitty aren't you?" she cooed at the now purring cat.

Naruto glared at the cat. "Now what's the difference between me and Sakura-chan?" he asked to no one in particular.

"Probably because she's not a dobe," Sasuke grunted. Sakura looked at him, blushing at the complement. "No matter how pathetic she is," Sasuke continued. Sakura looked down at the put down.

"Shut up teme, Sakura-chan isn't pathetic, she's the one who got tree walking down first and she's smarter than you, so much for the great 'Uchiha' clan," Naruto snapped.

Sasuke spun around, his onyx eyes flashing dangerously. "What did you say?" he snarled.

"You heard me, maybe if you got that duck butt head of your out of your ass, you'd see that you're not all that," Naruto said. "You need to keep working and training if you want to get strong."

Sasuke snarled and leapt toward Naruto, but Kakashi grabbed the Uchiha by the back of his shirt. "That's enough," the jonin said sharply. "Let's get this cat back to his owner then you two can work off this sexual tension."

Naruto and Sasuke went red and began sputtering while Sakura looked away, either from fury at someone calling 'her Sasuke-kun' gay or from laughter.

Team 7 and Kakashi made their way back to the MDO, Tora cuddled up in Sakura's arms, purring contentedly.

"Hey Ojii-san, we're back," Naruto cried as they entered the MDO. "What's our time?"

"Hello there Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, Sakura-chan, Kakashi-kun, you've already capture…I mean, found Tora," the Hokage said.

"Hai. It really wasn't that hard, though that cat doesn't seem to like me or DB very much," Naruto said.

"Oi, don't call me that," Sasuke barked.

"DB?" Iruka asked.

"Yeah, we've all got codenames, I was Fox," Naruto said. The Hokage pinned Naruto with a piercing look. "I choose them for all of us. Sakura-chan was Blossom, Kakashi-sensei was Scarecrow and Sasuke was DB or Duck Butt."

Sasuke glared at Naruto, while Sakura and Kakashi were hiding giggles. Iruka was preparing his 'Ookii Atama no Jutsu' (Big Head) when the Hokage raised a hand.

"Naruto-kun, you should treat your comrades with respect," the Hokage said.

"I understand sir, but we made a team decision for me to pick our codenames for this mission," Naruto said. "Next one would be Sakura-chan's turn, then Sasuke, then me again. And our codenames describe us perfectly. I'm crafty like a fox, Sakura-chan is as pretty as a flower blossom, and Sasuke looks like a DB."

Sakura blushed at Naruto's complement while Kakashi had to turn away to hide his laughter.

"Naruto!" Sasuke roared.

"Enough," the Hokage barked. "Now Team 7, you are dismissed for today, but I expect you all to have cooler heads when you return."

"Hai sir," the genin said.

"Here's you payment for your mission," the Hokage said, handing each genin an envelope. Now don't go spend it all at once, Naruto-kun."

"Hai sir," Naruto said, scratching the back of his head.

Team 7 and Kakashi left the MOD, payments in hand. "All right then, meet at the training ground at 7am tomorrow, we'll train until noon, have lunch then go get our mission."

"Hai," Naruto and Sakura answered. Sasuke just gave his usual grunt. Kakashi vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Now then, I don't know about you but I'm going home to do some more training," Naruto said.

"You're not going anywhere dobe, I've still got to pay you back for that ridiculous codename you gave me," Sasuke snarled. "It's about time I taught you the superiority of the Uchiha."

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Fine let's rock. Sakura-chan, do you want to watch me kick Sasuke-teme's ass?"

"Ha, like you could do that."

"Well, didn't I beat you the last time we sparred," Naruto said.

"We won't be sparring, this is no holds barred," Sasuke said, with a smirk.

"Well then, we won't be fighting," Naruto said. "I'm not going to let you goad me into some situation that will get either of us hurt teme."

"Coward, knew you couldn't measure up."

Naruto growled deep in his throat. "I'll fight you teme, but tomorrow during training. Don't want you to get hurt too bad," he said. "I want to make sure that sensei is there to keep it from getting out of control."

"Sure," Sasuke smirked.

"Whatever, I'll see you two tomorrow," Naruto said before bounding off.

"Damn teme, I'll show him," Naruto growled as he entered his house. "Taju Kage Bunshin!"

Nearly 100 clones appeared, surrounding Naruto. "I want 25 of you to continue working on chakra control, start the water walking exercise. 50 of you work on practicing kaa-san's taijutsu style. And the rest, we'll it's time for a battle royale."

"Yosh!" the clones roared and separated. Naruto led his clones outsides and to the training ground that his father had created.

"All right, let's get it on!" he yelled as he clones charged.

"Argh," Naruto groaned as his alarm went off. The memory backlash of the one hundred clones was really harsh on his mind, even if he had done it in shifts to limit it. But using his Shadow Clones to quickly learn the basics had allowed him to catch up his classmates extremely quickly. However, aside from the memory backlash, the other major fault of using Clones was that he didn't have an opponent that would truly push him. All his clones were at his level, rather than someone higher.

"Still, it should be enough to put teme in his place," Naruto said.

Naruto arrived at the training ground five minutes before the 7am deadline. Sakura and Sasuke were already there. Naruto noticed that Sasuke was starring at him almost hungrily. A smirk spread over Naruto's face.

"Sorry Sasuke, but I don't swing that way, and besides isn't one of your goals to revive your clan and I can't help you with that."

Sasuke went red and began sputtering, while Sakura looked torn between chastising Naruto and laughing her ass off.

"I'm not gay," Sasuke screamed.

"Could have fooled me, I mean you haven't taken your eyes off me since I got here," Naruto said. "I mean I know I'm awesome but like I told you, I don't swing that way."

"Naruto!" Sasuke roared, his face bright red. He grabbed a kunai from his holster and launched himself toward Naruto. Naruto's face went instantly serious as he settled into his taijutsu stance.

Sasuke thrust the kunai at Naruto's chest, Sakura screamed but Naruto narrowed his eyes and quickly slapped the kunai away, grabbed Sasuke's outstretched arm by the elbow and shoulder and threw him head over heels.

"What the hell teme?" Naruto cried. "Get that massive stick out of your ass and relax. Get a sense of humor."

"What's going on?" Kakashi's voice asked from behind Sakura, who yelped in surprise.

"Sasuke-teme can't take a joke," Naruto said.

"Naruto called me gay!" Sasuke roared.

"Well you wouldn't stop looking at me. I know I'm good looking but…" Naruto was cut off as Sasuke raced toward him again.

"That's enough," Kakashi growled, grabbing Sasuke by the shirt. "All right, since you two can't seem to keep from riling each other up, you're going to do an endurance spar. No stopping until you both have gotten this out of your system."

"Fine by me," Naruto said. Sasuke grunted.

"What about me?" Sakura asked.

"I know you've mastered tree walking, so I want you to start water walking," Kakashi said. "I'll have a Shadow Clone watch you while I try and keep these two from killing each other.

Sakura nodded and walked off with Clone Kakashi, though she kept glancing over her shoulder at the two boys.

"Now the, you two need to learn to work together but first you are both going to get rid of this stupid aggression. This spar is no holds, but no aiming to kill or permanently disable. Jutsus and weapons are fine and no stopping until someone gives, is unable to continue or I deem it necessary to stop, understood?"

"Hai," Naruto said. Sasuke grunted.

"Good, hajime!"

Naruto pulled a kunai from his holster just as Sasuke hurled five shurikens at him, Naruto easily deflected them, though was forced to leap away as Sasuke charged forward. The pair traded punches for a good five minutes, neither landing a serious blow on the other. Sasuke disengaged and leapt backward, his hands flashing through seals. "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"

Naruto leapt out of the way of the fireball. He quickly made some hand seals, took a deep breath and punched himself in the stomach. "Futon: Rendukan!" (Wind Release: Air Bullet.)

A concentrated ball of air shot out of Naruto's mouth. Sasuke dove out of the way and threw some kunai at Naruto. Naruto deflected the kunai before pumping chakra into his legs and dashing forward. Sasuke tried to put some distance between Naruto and himself but Naruto wouldn't let him get away.

"Kage Bunshin!" Naruto cried. Four Narutos appeared around Sasuke, hemming him in.

"Come on Uchiha, let's see what you've really got," Naruto taunted.

Sasuke growled and dove forward. Naruto blocked a punch, before retaliating with a right cross of his own. Sasuke ducked under the punch and put his foot into Naruto's stomach. Naruto bent over, and received a double-fisted hammer fist to the back of his neck for it. Sasuke grinned before 'Naruto' disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Clone," Sasuke growled. He turned, only to be tackled aside by a diving clone.

"How?" Sasuke snarled. "That was you!"

"Kawarimi," Naruto said. "I switched with one of my clones when I realized that you were about to get the upper hand."

Sasuke threw the clone off him and turned to face Naruto. "Fight me like a ninja," he roared.

"I am, deception and trickery are major tools in a ninja's arsenal," Naruto said easily. "But fine, if that's the way you want to play it."

Naruto dispelled his clones and settled into his stance, right foot forward, arms outstretched, hands fisted loosely and knees bent. Sasuke charged, his fist raised ready to strike. Naruto easily deflected the punch but Sasuke used the momentum to bring a roundhouse kick to Naruto's head. Naruto blocked the kick, mostly, with a raised arm but was knocked aside. Naruto rolled upright, just in time to block another fist. Naruto stepped inside Sasuke's guard and landed two blows to the Uchiha's stomach and finished the combo with a viscous uppercut to Sasuke's chin.

Sasuke saw stars as Naruto's fist impacted with his chin, snapping his head back. Sasuke collapsed to the ground, Naruto was about to continue when a hand on his shoulder.

It was Kakashi. "That's enough."

"No, its not," Sasuke growled, getting to his feet, somewhat shakily.

"It is because I said so," Kakashi snapped. "Both of you need to cool off. You're comrades and teammates, start acting like it. Naruto, go work on your chakra control, Sasuke you do the same. I'm going to check on Sakura."

Naruto nodded and vanished in a flash of yellow light. '_That kid is going to be either the death of me, or going to the one to make Konoha feared again._' Kakashi thought.

"How does he do that?" Sasuke said. "What technique is that?"

"It's called Shunshin, but he's added his own twist," Kakashi said. "Most people in the Leaf use leaves to mask it, but he uses something a little more flashy."

"How does he know that technique and I don't?"

"Probably because Naruto is a genius at observation, he can see a technique only a few times before making it his own. He's had to rely on himself alone, longer than anyone even you Sasuke. You two are more alike than you realize."

**A/N: I've been getting some reviews wondering about pairings, I haven't decided on what they, if any, will be. Right now I'm concentrating on making the characters fuller. I've noticed that the manga doesn't do the characters justice, so right now that's what I'm working on. Also I have gotten some people saying don't make Naruto too strong too fast, and I completely agree. The Shadow Clone training method I'm using is to get Naruto up to his teammates' levels, so he'll be slowing down now that he's caught up. Also like I said in the chapter, the Shadow Clones don't do anything physical, so he still needs to work on his reactions and strength. Also I'm thinking of giving Naruto another chakra element, aside from Wind, it's between Water and Lighting, but I can't decide, so in any reviews if I could get some ideas on what you all would like to see that would be great. Keep the reviews coming, phoenixflame**


	5. Riding the Wave

**Disclaimer: The _Naruto_ universe is the property of ****Masashi Kishimoto, not me. I'm just borrowing the world for some fun. I will be adding some of my own jutsus.**

It had been a week since Naruto and Sasuke's fight and Kakashi's dressing down of the Uchiha heir. Sasuke had taken a closer look at Naruto over the week and had slowly began taking the stick out of his ass. The other members of Team 7 noticed this mellowing out of Sasuke. Naruto and Sasuke continued to spar each day and while they would continue to push their limits, the tension and killing intent had diminished drastically.

Sakura's abilities had dramatically risen as well. With her constant work on her chakra reserves, they had grown to lower-mid genin level, they were still miles behind Naruto's or Sasuke's reserves but her control was leagues above both boys.

"No way, I can't stand these D-rank missions, they aren't even missions, they're chores," Naruto complained as Team 7 entered the MDO, Tora once again in tow. "We're ninjas, we shouldn't be weeding a garden or fixing a fence, we should be out fending off bandits or saving princesses."

"You are only genin, so you won't get higher ranked missions until you get more experience," Iruka cried using his Big Head Jutsu. "You aren't ready for those type of mission."

"How are we supposed to get more experience when all we do are these stupid chores," Naruto said. "Iruka-sensei, we're not kids anymore, most of us stopped being children when we put these headbands on. Some even longer," he finished solemnly.

Iruka fell silent, looking down at the desk. The Hokage coughed at the atmosphere.

"Naruto-kun, you have to understand that you must complete at least 8 D-rank missions before you can get a C-rank mission," Hiruzen said.

"Um Hokage-sama, yesterday was our 8th D-rank mission and besides I'm not asking for much, just a simple C-rank that will get me out of the village for a week or so," Naruto said.

The Hokage looked at Naruto with solemn eyes. He knew what was coming up, the Kyubi festival as well as Naruto's birthday. Every year, on October 10th, the village celebrated the Fourth Hokage's 'victory' over the Kyubi, and every year some villagers would get drunk and try to finish off the 'demon.' Naruto had been admitted to the hospital on everyone of his birthday, with injuries ranging from some cuts and brusies to broken bones or puncture wounds from kunai or swords.

"I see, well actually I might just have the perfect mission for you," Hiruzen said. He picked up a C-rank mission scroll. "It's a simple escort mission. You are to escort the client back to his home in the Wave country. Please send him in."

The door opened reveling an older man with graying hair, a torn and battered knapsack over his shoulder and was holding a bottle of sake, from the smell.

"Is this it?" the man slurred. "I'm supposed to be protected by an emo kid with a duck's ass haircut, a pink-haired girl, I mean who ever heard of a ninja with pink hair, and a shrimp with an idiot look on his face."

The three genin growled at the man. "Who are you calling a shrimp?" Naruto yelled.

"And besides it's not a good idea for you to insult the people who are supposed to be protecting you," another voice said softly from behind the man. It was Naruto.

"What the!" the man yelped.

'_When did he create a Shadow Clone,_' Kakashi asked himself. "Naruto, you can't attack the client, it's bad for business," he said.

"I wasn't attacking him, just showing that we're up for the job," Naruto said.

"So then Team 7 will be escorting Tazuna-san back home," the Hokage said. "I except this to take no longer than a week to ten days, but be careful."

"Hai."

"Hn."

"Don't worry jiji, I'll be taking that Hat someday so I won't be dying yet," Naruto said.

"All right, meet at the east gate in an hour," Kakashi said. The genin nodded before leaving the MDO.

Naruto skidded to a stop at the gate. "Gomen everyone, I couldn't find my scrolls," he said.

"Whatever dobe, let's go," Sasuke scoffed.

The group had just walked through the gates when they realized that they were missing a number.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" Sakura cried.

Naruto was standing next to one of the gates, a hand pressed against the warn wood. "Sorry, its just this is the first time I'm leaving the village…willingly," Naruto whispered the final word.

'_Don't worry tou-san, kaa-san, I'll be okay,_' Naruto thought. '_I won't die until I become Hokage and surpass both of you._'

"Come on Naruto-baka, or we're leaving you behind," Sakura yelled.

"Coming," Naruto cried. He vanished in a swirl of light and reappeared next to Sakura. "Here I am."

"How do you do that?" Sasuke asked. "How do you know the Shunshin?"

"That's what it's called?" Naruto said. "I never knew the name."

Kakashi, Sakura and Sasuke nearly face vaulted at this. "How did you not know the name of the technique?" Sakura cried.

"What, its not like I had anyone teach me or at home help me?" Naruto retorted. Sakura looked down. "I've had to learn on my own ever since I can remember. I realize that you're not from a ninja clan but you didn't have to deal with the Academy instructors trying to purposely fail you by sabotaging your exams."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked. Kakashi frowned; he was going to have to report this to the Hokage.

"Did you really think that I was really dumb enough to fail the graduation exam three times? Yes, I still can't do clones because I have too much chakra, but my written exams had a genjutsu on them, and whenever I would find out, I would be accused of cheating, and besides half the time I would be sent out of class for no reason and not able to learn the lesson. After my first time failing, I realized that the instructors didn't like me, so I stopped trying to change things."

"Why would the instructors do that?" Sakura asked.

"Who knows, but I didn't do anything to warrant it," Naruto said. "Like I said, the only reason I didn't pass the ninjutsu exam was because I can't use the small amount of chakra that's needed to make three Bunshin. The smallest amount of regular Bunshin I can make is ten, and that's only because I've been working on my chakra control for the last two weeks. I probably would have made like fifty on exam day."

"But why didn't you do that during the exam?" Sakura asked. "I'm sure you would have passed."

"I doubt it, Mizuki-teme would have found something wrong and failed me. I still suck at genjutsu, which is what the Bunshin is, an illusion technique."

"Baka, you shouldn't call Mizuki-sensei that," Sakura cried.

"Actually, that's a good name for that traitor," Kakashi grumbled.

"What!" Sakura and Sasuke said.

"Mizuki tried to steal the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing," Kakashi said. "Naruto was able to help ANBU catch him."

"How was that dobe able to help?" Sasuke asked.

"Well, I had pranked some people, so some ANBU were looking for me and we ran into Mizuki-teme," Naruto said. "I didn't do much more than that."

"Thought so," Sasuke scoffed. Kakashi shot Naruto a look, but the blonde just shook his head.

Team 7, Kakashi and Tazuna continued on their way. Naruto would periodically look over his shoulder, as the village gates grew smaller, behind them.

"Tazuna-san, you're from the Wave country, correct?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, what of it?"

"Kakashi-sensei, does the Wave have ninja?" she asked.

"No, the Wave doesn't have any ninja, it's too small," Kakashi answered. "And we shouldn't see any combat, unless we are unlucky and run into some bandits."

Naruto noticed that Tazuna stiffened slightly, though it could have just been because of the thought of a bandit attack. Naruto extended his senses as much as possible, pushing chakra into his ears and nose. Slowly, he could hear much clearer around the group, he had to focus only on his ears because the smell of Tazuna's sake was becoming overwhelming. Naruto had discovered this trick after talking with Kiba about how the boy seemed to hear and smell things that others couldn't. It had really helped him evade his pursuers after one of his pranks.

Naruto stumbled over a loose rock and fell to his knees, one hand falling into a puddle.

"Naruto, would you hurry up?" Sakura cried.

Naruto didn't answer as he got to his feet, and brushed himself off when he froze. His hand wasn't wet. '_What's going on?_' he thought. '_Why isn't my hand wet, and how is there a puddle when it hasn't rained in like two weeks._'

Suddenly two figures burst out of the puddle and streaked for Kakashi. In an instant, the jonin was wrapped up in a chain, a horrified expression on his partially visible face.

"One down," one of the figures said grimly as the chain tightened and ripped through Kakashi, Sakura screamed as Kakashi seemed to explode into little bits.

"Now then, who's next?" the other ninja said. The pair spun and raced toward Sakura and Tazuna.

"Sakura-chan, protect Tazuna," Naruto barked. "Sasuke, with me."

Naruto hurled a pair of kunai at the charging ninja, who easily blocked them with a clawed gauntlet. However, this left them out of position to defend against Sasuke, who was able to pin the ninja's chain to a nearby tree with some shurikens and kunai. The raven-haired boy appeared above the restrained ninja and kicked them both in the head, knocking them both away, snapping the chain.

The enemy ninja quickly recovered and charged toward Sakura and Tazuna once again. "Kage Bunshin!" Naruto cried. Five Narutos appeared and formed a protective wall in front of Sakura and Tazuna. Each of the Narutos drew a kunai.

"Don't even think about it," Naruto growled.

The enemy ninja scoffed. "Please boy, you're nothing. What can you hope to do?" one sneered.

"Me, nothing. I'm just stalling for time, you got them sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Yep," Kakashi said as he reappeared behind the masked ninja. He knocked them out with a swift chop to the back of their necks. "Well done all of you."

"Sensei!" Sakura cried. "You're alive. But I saw…" she trailed off when she saw that Kakashi's bloody remains were actually a shredded log.

"Substitution," Naruto question. Kakashi nodded. "Why?"

"I wanted to see how well you all handled yourselves…"

"So this was a test?" Sakura screamed.

Kakashi sweat-dropped. "Don't worry, I was watching the whole time and would have stepped in if things got out of hand. And I wanted to know if I was their target or someone else…"

Tazuna stiffened as Kakashi's stare pinned him.

"Tazuna-san, why are two C-rank missing nins from Kiri after you?" the jonin said. "These two are called the Demon Brothers, so why were they after you?"

Tazuna gulped. "My country is suffering under the rule of an evil tyrant, Gatou," the man said.

"Gatou, you mean the shipping magnet. One of the wealthiest men in the world, Gatou!" Kakashi said.

"Yes, but that's his public persona, Gatou has taken over the country by controlling the shipping lanes and trade in the country. My bridge is our only chance at getting some control back, our country is so poor that even our nobles have little money."

"So you thought that deceiving the Hokage and us was the right idea?" Kakashi asked. "This mission should be at least a B-rank, possibly an A-rank. My team isn't ready, we need to head back to the village."

"No!" Naruto barked.

"No?"

"Yes, we were hired to do a mission, and I'm going to complete it even if its by myself," Naruto growled. "We can't just give up when something unexpected happens. Being a ninja means expecting the unexpected."

Kakashi's visible eye widened at the forcefulness and passion in Naruto's voice.

"All right, I'll put it to a vote," the jonin said.

"You know my vote," Naruto said.

"We should keep going," Sasuke said. '_I need to prove myself, to get stronger so I can kill that man._'

Sakura looked conflicted. She wanted to go home, she agreed with their sensei; they weren't ready for this. But she also didn't want to look weak in front of Sasuke.

"Don't worry Sakura-chan, I won't let anything happen to you," Naruto said. "Believe it!"

Sakura managed a grateful smile to Naruto before she nodded to Kakashi.

"All right then, we're continuing the mission thought I'll be sending a message to the Hokage requesting backup," Kakashi said. "As well as a pickup crew for these two."

"Yatta, let's go!" Naruto cried.

"Baka, be quiet," Sakura scolded before slapping him upside the head.

"Gomen Sakura-chan, just excited about continuing the mission," Naruto said.

"Well keep it to yourself, there might be more enemies around."

"Don't worry Sakura-chan, I promised that I won't let anything happened to you and I don't go back on my word," he said.

"Baka," Sakura said, though there was no malice or anger in her voice and her face seemed to have taken on a tinge to match her hair.

"Come on you two, we want to get moving," Kakashi said. Naruto and Sakura raced off to catch up with the others, both blushing slightly.

"Wow," Naruto said softly as the outline of a large bridge came silently ghosting out of the thick mist that surrounded them.

"Please keep it down, we're nearly there but I don't want Gatou's patrols to find us," the boat driver whispered.

Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke tensed at this, the mist made it nearly impossible for them to see more than twenty feet in front of them. Naruto seriously wondered how the boat caption could find his way.

"Here we are, this is as far as I can take you," the captain said as the boat scraped gently against the shore. "Take care."

"Thank you," Tazuna said. He led Team 7 and Kakashi into the woods, the mist following them.

Naruto pushed some chakra into his ears and nose once again as they walked. Kakashi had told them that there was a chance that there would be another encounter with an enemy, and Naruto wanted to be ready. He knew that with the mist, he'd most likely hear or smell something before seeing it.

Naruto's ears twitched as he heard something rustling in the bushes. "There," he cried, hurling a kunai into the bushes.

"Naruto, what the hell!" Sakura cried.

"I heard something in the bushes," Naruto said as he walked over to where he had thrown the kunai. "Oops," Naruto said.

"What did you do?" Sakura asked.

"False alarm," he said, reappearing with a trembling white bunny in his arms.

"You baka," Sakura cried, grabbing the bunny from Naruto's arms.

"Way to go dobe," Sasuke said. "You nearly killed a rabbit."

"Shut it teme, I didn't know it was there, gomen bunny-chan," Naruto said. Just then he heard a loud whooshing sound.

"Get down," Naruto and Kakashi shouted. Naruto dove forward and shoved Sakura and Sasuke to the ground while Kakashi knocked Tazuna down. An enormous sword came whizzing overhead and lodged itself in a nearby tree. A tall, thin man wearing dark gray camo pants and a dark blue shirt appeared, standing on the sword's quivering handle.

"So, that's why the Demon Brothers failed, didn't know they would have to go up against Kakashi the Copy ninja," the man chuckled darkly.

"Momochi Zabuza, the Devil of the Bloody Mist," Kakashi said. "Looks like we were right in thinking that we'd be meeting someone more advanced. Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura stay back and protect Tazuna, this one is out of your league."

Team 7 leapt back and surrounded Tazuna, Naruto making a Shadow Clone to protect their rear.

"I'm going to have to get serious," Kakashi said, lifting his forehead protector to revel his other eye, yet this one was blood red instead of brown.

"Sharingan," Sasuke whispered, almost in awe.

"What?" Naruto asked.

"So, you brought out the Sharingan Kakashi, so will you show me why you are an A-ranked shinobi in my Bingo Book?" Zabuza said. "But besides from that eye, you are really nothing. So what will you do if you can't see me?" Zabuza made some hand signs and cried, "Suiton: Kirigakure no Jutsu!"

A thick mist drew in around the clearing, obscuring their sight. "What's with this mist, I can't even see my own hands," Sasuke said.

"Everyone keep sharp," Kakashi said. "Zabuza is a master of the art of silent killing."

An evil, bone-chilling chuckle filled the clearing. "It seems like you have read up on me Kakashi. There are eight points on the body that mean instant death: liver, heart, lungs, jugular, brain, spine, kidneys and clavicle vein, so many choices?"

'_I can't see a thing in this mist,_' Naruto thought. '_That's it!_' His hands flew through multiple hand signs before taking a deep breath and releasing it, "Futon: Ookii Aori no Jutsu!" (Wind Release: Great Gust Jutsu, pretty self-explanitory).

A stream of wind blew from his mouth; slowly the mist began to dissipate.

"What the!" Sakura cried.

"Well, it seems that the blonde brat has a bit of skill," Zabuza's voice said. "To think that a genin has the chakra and the forethought to use a wind jutsu to blow away my mist. However you're too LATE!"

Suddenly Zabuza appeared in the middle of Team 7's formation, his sword across his back, ready to slash Tazuna in two.

"You're dead," Zabuza cried, slashing the sword down.

POOF!

"What the hell!" Zabuza blinked as Tazuna, Sakura and Sasuke and 'Naruto' vanished into smoke and were replaced by more Narutos.

"Gotcha!" Naruto cried as he and his clones dove toward Zabuza, all with kunai drawn.

"Not bad brat, combining the Shadow Clone, Henge and Substitution in one," Zabuza said. "You've got some real talent but you're still years away from beating me." The tall man swung his sword in a blindingly fast slash that destroyed all the clones.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried from the bushes where she, Sasuke and Tazuna had been transported too.

"What Sakura-chan?" Naruto's voice came from above them. She looked up and saw Naruto standing on a branch above them.

"Nani! How did you get up there?" Sakura asked, the knot in her chest loosening at the sight of her blonde teammate.

"I substituted all four of us with my clones," Naruto said without looking down at the others.

'_When did Naruto get this good,_' Sasuke thought. '_He was able to use the Shadow Clone, Henge and Substitution in rapid succession and in perfect timing._'

"Is that all you can do?" Zabuza roared.

"Not quite," Kakashi growled. "Why don't you fight me? I can't be shown up by my students."

"Not quite," Kakashi growled. "Why don't you fight me? I can't be shown up by my students, now can I?"

"Well then, I guess I'll have to finish you off before the old man and the brats," Zabuza said.

"I don't think so," Kakashi growled as he leapt back. "And besides, I've already foreseen the end of this fight, and it ends with your death."

"Really, well let's put that prediction to the test," Zabuza cried. He made several hand signs before crying out, "Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu!" (Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu).

"Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu!" Kakashi shouted.

Twin spires of water shot out of the lake, quickly forming dragons with glowing yellow eyes. The two chakra dragons crashed into each other, causing a massive explosion. Naruto had to raise his arms to shield his gaze.

"Wow, so this is what a jonin-level ninja battle is like," Naruto softly. "I can barely keep up with their hand signs."

"Naruto, get down here," Sakura said. "You're going to get hurt if you fall from there."

Naruto hopped down from the branch and landed next to Sakura. "Come on Sakura-chan, I can handle it," he said.

There came another explosion and Sakura ducked her head. "It's all right Sakura-chan," Naruto said. Sakura cautiously opened her eyes to see Naruto, with his back to her, watching the fight. His eyes were focused and sharp, his body tensed like a coil ready to spring. "Don't worry Sakura-chan, Kakashi-sensei will beat this eyebrow-less freak and then we can get out of here. Remember, I won't let anything happen to you, I promise."

Just then they heard a cry of pain coming from the clearing. Zabuza was pinned up against a tree by several kunai; Kakashi was on a branch above him.

"Look's like my eye does tell the future," Kakashi said as he raised another kunai.

"You don't scare me Kakashi, this isn't over, you hear…" Zabuza was cut off as several needles pierced his neck. Kakashi whipped his head around to find the source.

"Thank you Leaf-nin, we've been searching for Zabuza for a very long time," a soft voice said. A masked person appeared next to Zabuza.

"You're a Kiri hunter nin?" Kakashi said.

"Correct, now if you'll excuse me, I must dispose of his body," the ninja said before vanishing in a swirl of leaves with Zabuza in tow.

'_For the size of that kid and his voice, that kid is probably Naruto's age,_' Kakashi thought.

"Sensei, what happened?" Naruto cried as he led the others into the clearing. "Who was that?"

"A hunter-nin from Kiri, he was the one who killed Zabuza," Kakashi said. Suddenly, he pitched forward and fell to the ground.

"Sensei!" Sakura cried.

"It's all right, I'm just exhausted from using the Sharingan too much," Kakashi said. "I just need to rest for a bit."

"Is your house nearby Tazuna-san?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, it's about a mile down the road," Tazuna said. Naruto nodded, a couple of Shadow Clones popped into existence and picked up Kakashi under the arms the group was off.

**A/N: Here's the next chapter of UTU, please keep the reviews coming they are really helpful. Still thinking about if Naruto should get Water or Lighting as his second main element, Naruto throughout the story will learn jutsus from all five elements but Wind and Water/Lighting will be his major two. **


	6. Earth, Wind and Fire, Water and Lighting

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, so don't sue me. I'm just having some fun with his world, there might be some jutsus that I'll have made up, and they'll be listed at the bottom.**

"Ugh," Kakashi groaned as consciousness returned to him. Twin thuds followed as Naruto and Sakura fell back onto their butts.

'_Damnit,_' Naruto growled. '_We were so close!_'

'_We need to know what's behind that mask,_' Sakura thought.

Sasuke shook his head at his teammates' antics, though inwards he was cringing too. Sasuke wanted to know what was behind Kakashi's mask as much as the others.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, sensei," Naruto said cheerily.

"Where am I?" Kakashi asked.

"We're at Tazuna-san's house, you passed out from chakra exhaustion after that hunter nin killed Zabuza," Sakura said.

"I see, how long was I out?"

"About twelve hours, though it looks like you won't be fully healed for a couple more day," Naruto said. "I've got some soldier pills if you'd like."

"Good thinking, give me one," Kakashi said. "But only one, if I take too many to quickly, I could overload my chakra network."

Naruto took a pill from his pouch. "Here you go sensei, do you need help?" he asked innocently.

"No, I have it under control," Kakashi said. In a flash, his hand shot out, snatched the pill from Naruto's hand and he quickly ate it, without removing his mask. Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke fell anime style.

'_How is that possible?_' the genin all thought.

"Ah you're finally awake," a woman's voice said from the doorway. An attractive woman with long dark hair and brown eyes was standing in the doorway, holding a tray of food.

"Oh hell there," Kakashi said.

"I'm Tsunami, Tazuna's daughter. I just want to thank you for protecting my father and bringing him home."

"It's no trouble Tsunami-san, it's our job," Kakashi said. Naruto looked at Sakura and they both hid a giggle.

"So sensei, what do we do now?" Sakura asked.

"Well, I can't be training you three very well while I'm laid up like this, so we'll be working on figuring out what your chakra elements are."

"Chakra elements?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, there are five elements: Wind, Water, Fire, Earth and Lighting," Kakashi said. "Most genin only have one chakra affinity, jonin are required to have two, though most older ninja can use all of them to some degree."

Kakashi reached into his holster and pulled out several slips of paper. "This paper is special, it's from a tree that has been feed chakra constantly over time. All you have to do is channel some chakra into it, and it will revel your chakra nature. If the paper burns, its fire, if the paper gets wet, you have water. If the paper crumbles, you have lighting, if the paper turns to dust, you have an earth affinity and finally if the paper gets spilt, you have wind, understand?"

The genin nodded and each took a piece of paper. "Sasuke, you first," Kakashi said. Sasuke nodded and closed his eyes. The paper seemed to crumple in on itself as well as burst into flames at the same time.

"Fire and lighting," Kakashi said. "Fire isn't surprising since the Uchiha clan always used Fire techniques well, though I haven't seem a reaction like that. But to have Lighting as well is a bit of a surprise, but not an unhappy one since I'm a lighting user."

Sasuke smirked, he had two affinities, of course he did, he was an Uchiha.

"Sakura, you're next," Kakashi said. Sakura nodded, and channeled some chakra into the paper. The paper immediately turned soggy as well as it began to fall apart in clumps that fell to the floor with squishy thuds.

"Well then, it seems that Sakura has two affinities as well, water and earth," Kakashi said. "Both are very well suited for defensive jutsus and require good chakra control to utilize to their highest potential."

Sakura beamed and looked at Sasuke, hoping that he'd be impressed. However, her hopeful gaze was met by one that was filled with smoldering rage. She quickly averted her gaze to hide the tears that were beginning to blur her vision.

"All right Sakura-chan, you're awesome to have two affinities," Naruto said. "And I guess good for you too Sasuke," he added grudgingly.

"Ok Naruto, let's see what the Leaf's #1 knucklehead ninja has in store," Kakashi said.

Naruto looked down at the chakra paper in his hand and channeled some into it. He watched as the paper spilt cleanly down the middle, leaving him holding two halves. Then one half became soggy, while the other half crinkled at the corners very slightly.

'_I have three affinities!_' Naruto thought, his eyes wide. '_I mean I knew that tou-san had a wind affinity and kaa-san had water, but where the hell did lighting come into the picture._'

'_That's interesting, wind and water were expected since sensei had wind while Kush-nee-chan had water but for Naruto to have lighting as well, he truly is the most surprising ninja ever,_' Kakashi thought. '_Could it be the Kyubi?_'

'_Naruto has three affinities!_' Sakura cried mentally. '_He has more than Sasuke-kun!_'

'_How the HELL does that dobe have three affinities,_' Sasuke fumed. '_Not only that but he also has a lighting affinity as well._'

"Well then, this team is very well rounded," Kakashi said. "Between the three of you, we have all five elements covered. This will be very interesting."

"All right, so what are we going to do now that we know our affinities," Naruto said.

"Well, first off, you'll learn how to draw out your elemental chakra," Kakashi said. "Each of you will focus on mastering one element at a time. Sakura, you'll start with water, find a towel, soak it in water, then use your chakra to draw the water out of the towel. This will work on your elemental chakra as well as continuing to work on your chakra control. Sasuke, you will work on fire first. I know you know some fire jutsus but I want you to work on setting a leaf on fire with your chakra but don't burn the leaf. And Naruto, you will work on cutting a leaf in half using your chakra."

"Hai," Naruto and Sakura said while Sasuke just grunted, still looking furious at Naruto. The genin left the room in search of their training tools.

Naruto went to his pack and fished out his father's wind jutsu scroll. Naruto wasn't surprised that he had a dual affinity of wind and water since they were his parents' major elements but he had no idea where his lighting element had come from. But he wasn't complaining about it, he had more affinities that Sasuke and they were the Uchiha's opposite.

Opening the wind scroll, Naruto read that Kakashi had been right that cutting a leaf was the beginner's exercise for working on wind chakra. The way to do it was to imagine your chakra as two blades grinding against each other, sharpening it to a fine edge.

Naruto went outside and summoned roughly fifty clones. "All right, each of you take a leaf and cut it using only chakra. After an hour, dispel five at a time in two minute intervals," he said.

"Yosh!"

It was nightfall when Naruto returned to the house, mentally exhausted from the memory transfer of his clones, but Naruto was pleased as he had managed to make a cut 1/5th through his leaf. Naruto found Sakura, Sasuke and Kakashi waiting for him to return before having dinner. Tazuna and Tsunami were also there as well as a young boy who was wearing a floppy hat, a blue/white striped shirt and dark blue pants.

"Were you all waiting for me?" Naruto asked.

"Where the HELL have you been dobe?" Sasuke barked.

"I was training Sasuke, you didn't have to wait," Naruto said. Sasuke didn't respond but just glared at Naruto.

"How far did you all get today?" Kakashi asked after Naruto sat down and their meal was nearly finished.

"I managed a cut about 1/5th through the leaf," Naruto said.

"I was about to dry 1/4th of the towel," Sakura said, pride filling her voice. Kakashi nodded.

"Sasuke?"

"I've gotten it to the point where my leaf is only crispy but I'm having trouble keeping the temperature down," the Uchiha said.

"Well done all of you," Kakashi said. "Once you have completed this exercise, come to me, I have a jutsu that I can teach to all of you except for you Naruto. There aren't many wind chakra users in the Land of Fire, so I don't have any jutsus that…"

"It's ok sensei, I have a scroll of wind jutsus that I brought with me," Naruto said. "I found it laying around that had a bunch of jutsus. That's where I learned that jutsu I used against Zabuza, though I haven't mastered it yet.

"It's pointless," the young boy said. "Why are you even here?"

"Inari, don't say that," Tsunami scolded. "These people helped save your grandfather."

"Why are you still here then?" Inari asked.

"We're here to finish our mission, which is to protect the old man until his bridge is done," Naruto said.

"You're going to die, you know that right?" Inari said. "Gatou is going to kill you."

"Of course we're going to die," Naruto said, stunning everyone. "Everyone dies at some point in their lives. But we're not going to die for a long time, I'm not going to die until I become Hokage."

"Gatou is going to send men after you and they're going to kill you, he's too strong, no one can stand up against him," Inari cried.

"Whatever kid, I've already said my piece," Naruto said. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed. Thank you for dinner Tsunami-san."

Naruto left without another word. Both Sakura and Sasuke were stunned at the maturity that Naruto showed, they had expected their blonde teammate to blow up at the younger boy but he had calmly refuted Inari and then quietly left the room.

Kakashi was extremely proud of his student. He, like the other two genin, had expected Naruto to scream at the boy but Naruto had kept his cool and quieted the boy. Kakashi was surprised at the maturity that Naruto had but Naruto had been surprising him ever since he had become his student.

"Stupid gaki," Naruto growled. "Where does he get off saying that?"

Naruto walked past an open door and noticed a picture frame on the desk, the picture inside the frame, looked like it had been torn from another photo. IT was of a middle-aged man with black hair, an X-shaped scar on his chin and a headband made of rope.

'_I wonder who that is?_' Naruto thought. '_I haven't seen him around here but he looks about Tsunami-san's age. Could he be that brat's dad?_'

Naruto heard footsteps coming up the stairs behind him, turning quickly he rushed off into his and Sasuke's room. Once there, he pulled out one of his father's Fuinjutsu scrolls and began reading.

When Sasuke entered the room roughly two hours later, he found Naruto asleep on his cot, a scroll sticking out of his pack. Grinning, Sasuke snuck around Naruto and picked up the scroll. He tried to open the scroll but it seemed to be sealed. Narrowing his eyes, Sasuke prepared to focus some chakra into the scroll.

"I wouldn't do that teme," Naruto's voice growled from behind Sasuke. "If you try and force open that seal with chakra other than my own, it'll backfire and cause some serious backlash. And besides why are you even trying, it's a wind jutsu scroll."

That was a lie, the scroll in Sasuke's hands was a scroll that had notes of his father's signature ninjutsu, the Rasengan. The Rasengan was an A-rank jutsu that needed near perfect chakra control to perform it since it was all shape manipulation, willing the chakra into the shape of a sphere. Naruto knew that he was still nowhere near the level of chakra control to perform the jutsu, but with each day he got closer.

"And why were you going through my stuff anyway," Naruto asked.

Sasuke glared at Naruto but dropped the scroll back into Naruto's bag. "Whatever dobe, I'm going to bed," the Uchiha said. Naruto rolled his eyes and sealed up his pack before going back to sleep.

"Dobe, wake up," Sasuke growled. Naruto shot upright, a kunai appearing in his hand ready to slash or block. "Easy there, just waking you up."

"Sorry Sasuke, instincts," Naruto said stowing his kunai and grabbing his clothes before disappearing into the bathroom. Sasuke frowned as Naruto closed the door behind him, that wasn't just instincts that had Naruto drawing that kunai so quickly. It was too smooth a motion for just that. Naruto had had practice waking up and drawing a weapon that quickly. '_Why would a dobe need to have practiced that,_' Sasuke thought before walking downstairs.

"Come on Naruto," Sakura cried up the stairs. "Hurry up!"

Just then Naruto appeared in a flash of yellow light. "Gomen Sakura-chan, didn't get much sleep last night."

"What do you mean" Sakura asked. "You went to bed well before any of us."

"Well yeah, but I stayed up for a bit reading a scroll of mine," Naruto said. "And just because I went to bed earlier doesn't mean I got a lot of sleep."

"Ok, why didn't you get a lot of sleep?" Sakura asked.

"Bad dreams."

"Why are you still here?" Inari snapped as he appeared in the doorway. "You're going to get killed if you stay here. Gatou is invincible, I'm trying to help you."

"Whatever kid, like I told you last night, I'm not going to die until I become Hokage," Naruto said. "And besides, this Gatou doesn't sound too strong, he just had money. That isn't real strength."

"Don't talk about stuff you don't understand," Inari screamed. "I bet you're never suffered like I have a day in your life, always smiling like that. Gatou is too strong for someone to beat."

Naruto froze after Inari's 'suffering' comment. Kakashi looked at the blonde as he felt the slight killing intent leaking out of Naruto. It was as if a chill had fallen over the room.

"Don't talk to me about suffering," Naruto said softly. "You should be grateful that you don't have my life."

"What do you know? You have no idea how we've suffered under Gatou," Inari cried, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Can the pity act brat," Naruto snarled. "I'm guessing that that picture in your room was of your father, and since he's not here, he must have died and I'm sorry for that. But don't you ever think that you've had a tougher life than me. In case you forgot, you still have your mother and grandfather, who love you but you don't care about how they feel. All you care about is yourself, and how you feel. Don't you realize that they must be feeling the same thing as you, they must miss him as much as you do, but you just go around crying and whining about how bad a life you have when you don't realize how well you actually have it."

Inari began backing away from Naruto, tears seemingly frozen on his face. Naruto gave the boy one final glare before storming off.

"Gomen about Naruto, he means well but he's not the most eloquent of people," Kakashi said, bowing to Tsunami, Tazuna and Inari.

Sakura stood frozen in shock as Naruto brushed past her, his face twisted in anger and…anguish.

"Pffft," Sasuke snorted. "Where does the dobe get off? Like he's had a tough life, always smiling and laughing."

"You're wrong Sasuke," Kakashi said. "Naruto has lived a life that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. He's lived a life much worse than even yours, Sasuke."

"Whatever, I seriously doubt that," Sasuke said. "I mean what had the dobe lost like I lost my family."

"It's hard to lose something that you never had," Kakashi said softly.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"That's something for Naruto to tell you when he's ready. Don't pressure him, or you'll lose him."

"Kage Bunshin!" Naruto cried when he found a large clearing in the woods behind Tazuna's house. Roughly 100 clones appeared. "All right, half work on the leaf cutting exercise, the rest will be working on our taijutsu. I need to work off some stream. Now get to work."

"Right!"

There was a tremendous crash as Kakashi, Sakura and Sasuke entered the woods.

"What the hell was that!" Sasuke cried.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried.

"Come on," Kakashi ordered. The trio leapt off in search of their comrade.

The scene they came upon both stunned and amazed them. The clearing was riddled with kunai, shuriken and body shaped craters. Naruto was in the middle of one such crater, surrounding him were 10 of his Shadow Clones, all with kunai or shuriken drawn.

"Kai!" they heard Naruto say before he vanished in a blur of yellow light that only Kakashi could keep up with. The clones charged but within 30 seconds, each had been beaten and exploded in a puff of smoke. When the smoke cleared, Naruto was standing though it seemed just barely. His clothes were torn, his hands and face scratched and bruised and his hair plastered to his forehead with sweat.

Team 7 and Kakashi leapt down from the branch that they had been observing from and began walking over.

"Oh hey guys, gomen about running off like that but I wanted to get some more training in before everyone else," Naruto said.

"You were training," Sakura cried, disbelief and awe evident in her voice. "You call that training?"

"Yeah, I was working on my speed, endurance in taking hits and situational awareness," Naruto said. "Having Shadow Clones throw kunai and shuriken at you while you fight some other clones is really a workout. So sensei, what's next?"

Sasuke and Sakura sweat dropped. "You still want to train after all that?" Sasuke said.

"Of course, how am I supposed to get stronger if I don't train," Naruto said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Naruto, how did you move so fast just then?" Sakura asked. "I mean I couldn't even keep up with you, just this yellow streak."

"Oh," Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "That was me without my seals on."

Kakashi stiffened. "What seal?" he asked, with a bit of a warning tone. Naruto caught it.

"It's just a weight and resistance training seal," Naruto said. "I can channel some chakra into it and it adds weight evenly to my body as well as adding resistance to it. It helps me work on getting stronger without bulking up, as well as making me faster."

Kakashi's visible eye widened. '_That's the same training method that sensei used and had us use. Gai does something similar but with metal weights instead of chakra weights,_' he thought. "Naruto, what level are you at?" the jonin asked.

"Right now, I'm at level 3, but I'll be moving up to level 4 in a couple of days if all goes well," Naruto said.

"How much weight is that?" Sakura asked.

"Each level is equal to my weight, so right now at level three, it's about 325lbs," Naruto said to the astonishment of the other two genin. "And the resistance seal is also at level three. That seal acts as like I'm moving through water or a stiff breeze, roughly around 5mphs."

"So you've been training and fighting us with an extra 300lbs on and a 15mph wind blowing against you!" Sasuke cried.

Naruto nodded. Sasuke was furious, he had been on equal terms with Naruto for the past few weeks, which shocked Sasuke enough as there had been a giant gap between them during the Academy. But to hear that Naruto had been holding back this much was something the Uchiha couldn't handle. Naruto noticed that Sasuke had stiffened when he had finished talking and he could feel the anger flowing off the dark-haired boy.

"Sasuke-kun, what's wrong?" Sakura asked.

"How?" Everyone looked at the Uchiha in confusion, but Naruto could feel a storm brewing just underneath the surface of the Uchiha's calm façade. "How are you so strong?" Sasuke roared, glaring at Naruto. "How can you, a clan-less orphan, be stronger than an Uchiha! We're supposed to be the best!"

Kakashi and Sakura looked stunned at Sasuke's outburst. "And that's why," Naruto said. Sasuke looked up. "You feel that just because you're an Uchiha that you are strong. Strength is something you have to work for and earn. I have had to fight and claw for every little thing in my life, while you've had the whole village bowing at your feet thinking you shit gold bricks."

Sakura went red at Naruto's language while Sasuke fumed. "What do you know? You didn't have your whole family murdered in one night by the man you looked up too!" Sasuke roared.

"You're both right and wrong," Naruto said softly. "You're right that I didn't have my family killed by my brother but that's because I never knew my family. Both my parents were killed within minutes of my birth, I've been alone my entire life; scorned and hated for no reason other than my very existence. So don't ever think that I don't know the pain you've felt of being alone because you at least have the memories of your family to think back on, you also have the whole village looking out for you. They want to help you but you just push them away. I have nobody like that, no one in the village will give me the time of day except for Teuchi and Ayame at Ichiraku."

Naruto stalked off leaving Sakura, who had tears welling in her eyes, Kakashi, who looked somber; pain and grief in his visible eye, and Sasuke, who looked stunned, in the clearing.

"Why don't you two continue working on your elemental training and I'll go find Naruto?" Kakashi said. He left without another word. Sakura looked at Sasuke, but the raven-haired boy walked off without a word.

Naruto was walking back toward Tazuna's house, his mind churning with the words of Sasuke and Inari. '_They know nothing of what I've been through, about how much I've suffered compared to them,_' he thought.

_**'Of course they don't know, they know nothing,' **_**a deep, dark sinister aged voice echoed in Naruto's head.**

Naruto opened his eyes. He was standing shin deep in water, an enormous gate, bigger than the Konoha gates, were in front of him.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked out loud.

**"So my warden has finally decided to revel himself to me?" the voice boomed out. Suddenly Naruto saw the hazy outline of an enormous fox, with teeth twice the size of Naruto and a blood red, silted eye that was glaring down at the blonde ninja.**

"So you're the Kyubi," Naruto said.

**"Yes, and I can ease all your pain and suffering, let me help you take revenge on those who had hurt you," the massive fox said with an almost seductive tone.**

"Well that does sound intriguing but what must I do to get this?" Naruto asked.

**"FREE ME!" the Kyubi roared, slamming against the gate. There was a great flash of white light and the enormous fox was thrown back.**

"It seems that my father's seal is doing its job," Naruto said. The Kyubi chuckled; it was a bone chilling sound, even more so than Zabuza's, but that was to be expected as the Kyubi was centuries old and a being of pure chakra and negative emotions.

**"So you know that it was your own father who sealed me in you," the fox said. "So how does that make you feel?"**

"What are you, my psychiatrist?" Naruto snarked. "Should I call you Dr. Kyubi?" Naruto laughed as the fox grumbled at the boy. Then a thought struck Naruto. "Hey, what do I call you?" he asked.

**"What?" the Kyubi said, surprise evident in its tone.**

"I mean I guess I can call you Kyubi or fox but I figured that you'd rather be called by your name," Naruto said. "That is, if you have a name?"

**"Of course I have a name," the Kyubi roared.**

"Then what is it?"

**The giant eye narrowed itself at Naruto. "You know kit, you're the first human to ask for my name in many years. You've got some guts, I'll give you that. It's Kurama."**

"Nice to meet you Kurama-san, and thank you for healing me over the years," Naruto said. "You're probably the only one that I can say that has been there for me my entire life and I thank you for that."

**"That was all self-preservation kit, if you die, I…well, I can't die but it will take a few years before I reform and besides it hurts like a bitch," Kurama said. "Now get out of here, that Cyclops sensei of yours is looking at you like a pervert."**

Naruto was about to shout something when he felt someone shake his shoulder. The blonde boy opened his eyes to find Kakashi kneeling next to him.

"Ah Naruto, you're awake, for a second there I thought something had happened," the jonin said.

"I'm ok sensei, I just needed to get away from everyone for a bit, had a lot on my mind," Naruto said.

"I see, you did seem to get a bit off your chest back there and I think your teammates took notice," Kakashi said.

"Good but I don't want their pity, I just want them both to understand that I've had to put up with a lot of crap in my life and I'm done," Naruto said.

"I'm proud of you Naruto, you're growing up very well considering everything, and I know your parents would be very proud of you as well."

"Arigato sensei, now I have some leaves to cut," Naruto said.

"Then I'll leave you to it."

**A/N: Well I'm back, and here's the next chap of _Underneath_, I choose Naruto to have three affinities (Wind, Water and lighting) mainly because I have ideas for all three. Also I didn't just want to give Naruto the exact opposite affinities as Sasuke because that just seems to convenient. Hope everyone likes the chapter, please read and review on any suggestions you have to help me make it better, always looking for new ideas. Also if anyone has an idea for a lighting elemental training technique please post it, and that goes with fire and water as well. I'm pretty sure I read about the towel training method with water somewhere, so its not my originally idea, if the creator reads this, tell me and I'll give you the credit. I just think that its a brilliant idea, no disrespect intended.**


	7. Humanizing the Devil

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Naruto_, I'm not making any money from this story. There are some jutsus that I've come up with.**

It had been ten days since Kakashi and Team 7 had arrived in the Wave. Each of the three genin had progressed enough in their elemental chakra training for Kakashi to teach them each a jutsu, well Naruto had his own jutsu since Kakashi never used any wind jutsu. Sasuke was shown the hand signs for the Ryuka no Jutsu (Dragon Fire Technique), while Sakura was shown the Mizu Kakuheki no Jutsu (Water barrier wall Technique). Naruto found a technique in his father's scrolls that was to be used in conjunction with a taijutsu style. The Futon: Kaze Yaiba no Jutsu (Wind Blades Technique) created blades of wind that could be extended out from the user's hands or feet as extensions of their limbs. That as well as with the Futon: Shippuu Dageki no Jutsu (Gale Strike Technique), which was a punch that used wind chakra to extend the blow.

Naruto had amped up his training when Kakashi had told them that Zabuza was still alive since the hunter-nin that had 'killed' him, took away the body instead of disposing it then and there.

"And you didn't think to tell us before?" Naruto snapped when Kakashi had broken the news.

"I didn't want to worry you," Kakashi said sheepishly.

Naruto looked at his sensei in utter disbelief. "You didn't want to worry us?" he said. "You didn't want to tell us that an A-rank missing-nin was still alive when we thought he was crow's food."

"Naruto," Sakura scolded. "Don't yell at Kakashi-sensei like that!"

'_**Even if the baka's right**__,_' **Inner Sakura fumed.**

'_I know…wait since when do I agree with Naruto and you._'

**'**_**Since we're both right,'**_** Inner Sakura said smugly.**

"But Sakura-chan," Naruto whined.

"No buts Naruto, even if sensei is a lazy sensei, he's still our sensei."

Kakashi sweatdropped. '_What happened to the meek fan-girl that wouldn't do a thing against me let alone agree with Naruto,'_ Kakashi thought.

"So the guy's alive," Sasuke said with a smirk. "Good, I've been itching for a rematch."

"Sasuke-kun, this guy gave Kakashi-sensei trouble, you're good but I don't think you can take Zabuza on," Sakura said.

"Yeah teme, but what about that hunter-nin?" Naruto asked. "If he's not working for Kiri, its possible he's with Zabuza."

Kakashi nodded. "Good point. But that kid is probably very skilled to be able to hide his chakra well enough to sneak up on us and to use senbon needles with such precision."

"Don't worry, if that kid shows up, I'll take care of him," Sasuke said confidently.

"Well then, if we're done talking about our upcoming encounter with the eyebrow-less one, I'm going to train," Naruto said. "Hey old man, do you have any water balloons that I can borrow?"

"Um, we might have some in the cupboard in the kitchen," Tazuna said. Naruto got up and vanished into the kitchen. The others heard him rummaging through the shelves and drawers.

"Yatta!" Naruto cried. He returned to the room, arms laden with a bag full of water balloons. "Thanks old man, I'll pay you back for these."

Sakura and Sasuke watched Naruto walk out the door. "What could he be doing with those?" Sasuke asked.

Kakashi didn't answer. '_The only training exercise that I can think of that uses water balloons is…the Rasengan!'_ he realized. '_Is Naruto already trying to do that jutsu?_'

"Sensei, do you have any idea what Naruto is doing?" Sakura asked.

"Training," came Kakashi's answer, which didn't quench Sakura or Sasuke's curiosity.

"I'm going after him," Sasuke said, getting to his feet.

"No," Kakashi said sharply, Sasuke froze and looked at the jonin. "Let Naruto be. I want you to come with me, I want to know how well you've mastered those two jutsu."

"Alright, tou-san's scroll says that the first step is to use my chakra to burst the water balloon," Naruto said. He took a balloon and concentrated on the water. The balloon began to flatten and spread out, like a pancake.

"Come on," Naruto grunted as he felt the water swirl inside the balloon. The plastic stretched even more but no matter what happened the balloon wouldn't burst.

"Damnit," Naruto cried as his hand cramped and he dropped the balloon. It struck the ground burst, sending pieces flying all over. Naruto groaned as he flexed his hand. His fingers were stiff and trembling, he tried to close his fist but his hand wouldn't cooperate.

Naruto looked around, '_How long have I been out here?'_ he wondered. Dusk had fallen, the thick forest made it much darker then it was. _'What time is it?'_ Shaking his head, Naruto picked up another balloon and set to work again.

"Where's Naruto?" Sakura asked when Team 7 and Tazuna's family had settled down for dinner.

"He's still out training," Kakashi said. He had sent a Shadow Clone to find the boy and to keep an eye on him. "He'll come back when he's done, Naruto is stubborn like that."

"Are you sure it's wise to leave him alone like that?" Tsunami asked.

"Naruto is the most resourceful ninja from Konoha, he knows what it takes to survive," Kakashi said. "He'll be fine."

Tsunami didn't look convinced but let the matter drop. Dinner was a quiet affair as Tsunami, Sakura and surprisingly Sasuke kept looking up every few minutes, as if waiting for Naruto to stagger in. And speaking of the blonde, Naruto was still trying to burst the water balloon.

_'Damnit, why won't this dame balloon pop!'_ Naruto fumed. _'It just gets flatter and flatter, the scroll says it's supposed to get all bumpy and misshapen.'_

Naruto's eyes widened. "Damn it!" he cried. "The chakra is supposed to move in more than one direction."

He looked down at the balloon in his hand and began channeling chakra in a whirlwind of directions. Naruto grimaced as he felt the strain of molding his chakra in various directions.

"AH!" Naruto cried as he felt his hand throb, then the balloon suddenly burst, spraying Naruto with water. "Yatta! I finally got it, ah!" Naruto cried as he cradled his hand, it was scuffed up and burnt. _'Chakra burns,'_ Naruto realized.

"I must have pushed too much chakra into my hand," he said. "No, that's not it. When the balloon exploded, the chakra went with it and tore up my hand. I need to keep working on it so that I don't get so much backlash. I need to keep working on this stage until I can get it down in less than a second, it took way too much time for me just to break the balloon once."

Dawn broke over the forest, and the sun found a slim figure making its way through the trees wearing a pink kimono with a light green sash, long black hair cascaded down her back. The girl froze when she came upon a clearing where a blonde-haired boy was laying, fast asleep totally oblivious to the world. The girl appeared the boy slowly, and noticed a metal forehead protector holding up his bangs from covering his face.

"Hey there, you should sleep out here," a soft voice came from the young woman. "You'll catch a cold."

The boy snapped awake, and in an instant a kunai was pressing against the young woman's throat. The fog of sleep quickly burned away, and his blue eyes widened.

"Oh my, I'm so sorry miss," Naruto said as he released the girl and quickly holstered the kunai. "I'm a bit of a jumpy sleeper, and instincts took over."

"It's quite alright," the girl said. "You were sleeping our here all alone and I didn't want you to catch a cold."

"Oh you don't have to worry about that," Naruto said. "I've never been sick a day in my life."

"Wow, how did you manage that?"

"Don't know, just lucky I guess. What's a pretty girl like you doing out here all alone this early, if you don't mind me asking?"

"It's alright," the girl said. "I'm looking for some herbs. One of my friends was injured recently and these herbs can help him recover."

"I see," Naruto said. "Do you need some help?"

The girl seemed taken aback by the offer. "Ok, that would be nice," she said.

"Great, but you'll have to tell me what ones to pick," Naruto said. "I'm not from around here."

"Ok no problem. Where are you from then? And why are you here, I noticed your headband so I'm assuming that you're a ninja."

"Yep, I'm Uzumaki Naruto, a ninja from the Konohagakure no Sato, and I'm here to protect old man bridge builder."

"I see, since you're a ninja, then you must be very strong?" the girl asked.

"I'd like to think so but I'm not very strong…yet," Naruto answered.

"Do you have someone precious to you?"

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"Well, do you have someone that you want to protect no matter what? That you would be willing to do anything to protect?" the girl asked.

Naruto closed his mouth and pondered the question. '_Did he have someone precious in his life?'_ Just then the faces of the Hokage, Iruka-sensei, Shikamaru, Choji, Kakashi-sensei, the Ichirakus, Sakura-chan and various others. A small smile tweaked Naruto's lips.

"Yeah, I do," he said. "I have people that I would do anything to protect."

"Then you will grow strong," the girl said. "I believe that when you are protecting something precious is when you truly become strong."

"That's a nice thought," Naruto said.

Silence fell over the clearing as the pair picked herbs. The sun soon found itself well above the trees.

"I think I have enough now, thank you Naruto," the girl said.

"It was no trouble…um I never got your name," Naruto said.

"Haku, my name is Haku," the girl now named Haku said.

"It's nice to meet you Haku-chan, and I hope your friend gets better soon," Naruto said.

"So do I," Haku said. "Oh, and I'm a boy."

"Lair!" Naruto said. "When I first woke up and had that kunai to your throat, sorry again about that, you didn't have an Adam's Apple and you smell way too much like Sakura-chan to be a boy. A decent double bluff, dress like a girl to have people underestimate you, then say you're a boy to throw people off but you can't fool me."

"I see, you're cleverer than you appear," Haku said.

"I'm a ninja, deception is part of the job description," Naruto said. "And don't worry, I'm not going to do anything to you. I'm guessing you use that line to keep people away, and with the way Gatou is running this place, I don't blame you."

Haku stiffened at the mention of Gatou. "Yes, he isn't the most pleasant person," Haku said. "Or so I heard."

"Yeah," Naruto said. "Well, I better get back to my team before they come looking for me. Goodbye Haku-chan."

"Goodbye Naruto, I hope we meet again," Haku said. '_Though you might not like it,_' she thought.

As Naruto leapt off, similar thoughts were running through his head. '_Why did Haku seem so familiar?'_ he thought.

"There you are Naruto, where the hell have you been?" Sakura cried when Naruto returned to the house.

"Gomen Sakura-chan, I was exhausted after training and I fell asleep," Naruto said. "I was working on a new jutsu and lost track of time."

"You were learning a new jutsu," Sasuke said. "What was it?"

"Sorry teme, not telling you," Naruto said. "You won't find out until I've mastered it and besides it's a family jutsu, so don't even think of trying to get the council involved."

_'Family jutsu eh, he's definitely working on the Rasengan,'_ Kakashi thought. _'Nice job there, Naruto.'_

"You don't have a family dobe, you're an orphan remember?" Sasuke sneered.

"Then what does make you Sasuke, you're an orphan as well?"

Sasuke saw red. He leapt at Naruto who fell into his taijutsu stance. "What Sasuke, can't take your own insults," Naruto growled as he blocked Sasuke's strike with a palm swat. "You keep talking about the Uchiha clan like its such a big thing but how can you call it a clan when there's only two member, both guys."

Sasuke howled in rage and drew a kunai. "I am going to kill you Naruto," he roared.

"What's going on here?" Kakashi said, appearing between the pair of the boys.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura cried.

"I asked a question genin," Kakashi growled.

"Just a little disagreement over what constitutes a clan," Naruto said. Sasuke twitched.

"I see, well Naruto, you should get some food then meet us at the clearing, I want to see how well you all have advanced on those jutsus."

"Hai sensei," Naruto said. He walked past Sasuke without a word and disappeared into the house.

Kakashi turned to Sasuke and Sakura. "Come on you two, let's go. Naruto will catch up in time. And Sasuke, you need to let go. You berate Naruto for being an orphan, but then you lose control when someone mentions your own situation. You're not the only one who has suffered in their lives, the life of a shinobi is one of pain and loss."

"You dare lecture me on loss, what have you ever lost?" Sasuke sneered. Sakura looked at Sasuke like he was crazy.

_'Is Sasuke-kun crazy? Talking like that to Kakashi-sensei,'_ Sakura thought.

_**'Is he an idiot? Why do we even like him if this is how he acts,'**_** Inner Sakura cried.**

"Sasuke, I know the pain of loss very well," Kakashi said sternly. "I've lost my parents, sensei and teammates in my life. You have felt much pain, too much for one so young but the way to overcome that pain is to accept it and move on. You have to realize that you can't bring them back but you can make them proud by making sure you live your life to the fullest and happiest."

Sasuke looked at Kakashi in a cross between anger and…understanding.

"Shouldn't we wake Naruto?" Sakura asked two days later. She, Sasuke and Kakashi were about to leave with Tazuna to go to the bridge, which was due to be completed in less than a week.

"No, we should let him sleep," Kakashi said. "He has been working extremely hard and he's suffering from chakra exhaustion. Naruto won't be up and out of bed until tomorrow at the earliest."

'_From those chakra burns I saw on his hands, he's been working himself to the bone. But if I'm right and he's already at that stage, he could surpass his father.'_

"Come on, the sooner we get there, the sooner we can get back," Tazuna said. Kakashi and the other two genin followed the old man out of the house.

"Where am I?" Naruto mumbled as he opened his eyes blearily. Then he recognized the ceiling of his and Sasuke's room at the old man's house. "What time is it?"

Just then the door opened, and Tsunami stuck her head in. "Oh Naruto-kun, you're awake. Your sensei said that you wouldn't wake for another day."

"Yeah, well I always heal quickly, something about my body," Naruto said scratching the back of his head. "And I've always only needed a good night's sleep before I'm back to full strength."

"Wow, that must be very helpful, do many ninjas have that ability?"

Naruto's face grew guarded. "No, as far as I know I'm the only one with this ability," he said. _'And it's a double-edged sword.'_

"Where are Sakura-chan, Kakashi-sensei and teme?" Naruto asked. "I can't hear them."

"Oh, they've already left with my father."

"Nani! Why didn't they wake me?"

"Well, they didn't think you'd wake up until tomorrow," Tsunami said.

Naruto sighed. "Fine but I'm ok now. So I'm going to get dressed and go catch up with them. For some reason, I have a bad feeling about today."

Tsunami didn't get a chance to say anything as Naruto blurred past her into the restroom.

"Arigato Tsunami-san for waking me up," Naruto cried as he raced through the front door and leapt off into the woods.

"That boy," Tsunami said, shaking her head as she made her way downstairs.

"Hey kaa-san, was that Naruto?" Inari asked.

"Yes."

"But didn't those other ninja say that he'd be asleep until tomorrow?"

"Well, apparently they were wrong. Naruto said that there's something about his body that allows him to heal quickly."

"Oh."

"Now go and get washed up," Tsunami said. Inari nodded, and vanished from the kitchen.

Suddenly there was a great crash as the front door exploded into splinters. Tsunami screamed as two katana-wielding men came strutting into the house.

"Look what we've got here, Gatou said that the old man had a daughter but I didn't know she'd look like you do."

"Who are you?" Tsunami squeaked.

"Don't worry about that, you're coming with us," the taller man said. He leveled his katana at Tsunami. "Gatou wants an insurance policy to make sure that the old man does what he's told."

"Hey kaa-san, I heard a crash, are you…" Inari asked, trailing off when he entered the room.

"Well, well, well looks like mom's got a sprout of her own," the shorter man said. He was wearing a bandana over his head and a blue shirt with black pants.

"What should we do with the shrimp?" the taller man said. He had an eye-patch and a scar on his bare chest.

"Gatou only said one hostage…" the shorter man smirked, fingering his katana.

"So I can cut him, right?"

"Don't move," Tsunami cried. "If you harm one hair on my child's head, I will bite off my tongue and drown myself in my own blood."

Inari looked at his mother in shock.

"Consider yourself lucky kid, to have a mother who would do such a thing," the shorter man said.

"Darn, I really wanted to cut something," the taller thug growled.

"Calm down, you slashed that pig up in the forest. Come on, grab the woman and let's go."

The taller man tied Tsunami up and tossed her over his shoulder. Inari stood frozen in the doorway watching as the men vanished with his mother over the shoulder.

_'Why am I so weak,'_ Inari thought as tears poured down his cheeks. _'Tou-san, why can't I be like you?'_

_'If you have something you want to protect, do so with both arms," a strong, warm voice filled the kitchen._

_'Tou-san, thank you,'_ Inari said. His eyes flashed with determination and he raced out of the kitchen.

"Let my kaa-san go!" Inari cried.

The two thugs turned to find Inari standing on the dock glaring at them.

"Well the shrimp wants to be a hero," the taller thug said.

"Well then, we shouldn't deny him the chance," the shorter thug sneered. "Come on shrimp, let's see what you've got."

Inari glared at the two men, hate gleaming in his eyes, though there was also fear. Inari was terrified, but his father's words rang in his head. _'If you have something important to you, protect it with both hands.'_

Inari's eyes hardened and he rushed forward. The two thugs smirked and dripped their katanas.

"Here ya go twerp, here's what you get for trying to be a hero," one thug roared as they unsheathed their blades, ready to cut the boy to pieces.

"You know you two should really stop trying to act tough, it's pretty pathetic," a voice growled from behind them.

Inari skidded to a stop a few feet in front of the thugs as Naruto appeared beside him, Tsunami held bridle-style in his arms.

"Who the hell are you?" the shorter thug barked.

"Uzumaki Naruto, the guy who's going to kill you," Naruto growled.

"Isn't that one of those Leaf-nins that the old man supposedly hired?" the taller thug said. "This is one of the ninjas who beat Zabuza."

"You're damn right, that we beat Zabuza though we both know that Zabuza is alive," Naruto said. "And since you're here, I'm guessing that Gatou isn't very confident in Zabuza, or he's planning on betraying Zabuza hence the need for a hostage."

The two thugs stood stunned. How could this brat have figured it out?

"I'm guessing from your looks and silence means I'm right. But to bad for you that won't happen, you're going to die here and then I'm going to the bridge and save my friends."

"Ha, what's a little midget like you going to do? You have to get by us, do you really have what it takes to kill us?" the taller thug said.

"Yes, I will do anything to protect those precious to me, and that includes the squirt and Tsunami-san," Naruto said. "And besides you two are already dead."

"What are you talking…"

Naruto dashed forward, reaching the shorter man before he could react and cried out, "Futon: Shippuu Dageki no Jutsu!"

"Argh!" the man cried as he coughed up quite a lot of blood and was launched into the water.

"Zori!" the taller thug cried. "Why you!"

"Too late," Naruto said as he appeared in front of the man, bringing his leg down for an axe kick. "Ashi Koukuukougeki!" (Leg air strike). The blow caught the man on the crown of the head, sending him head first into the planks of the dock. Naruto turned to Tsunami and Inari, who were looking at him in awe.

"Nice job Inari, you showed some real bravery there," Naruto said. "I'm proud of you, and I'm sure your tou-san would be too."

Inari smiled at Naruto.

"Look, I've got to go help my friends at the bridge, I'll leave a couple of clones to guard and clean up the mess," Naruto said. He made five clones before leaping off into the forest.

"If Gatou sent men after Tsunami-san and Inari, then he must have known that Zabuza and the hunter-nin will be at the bridge," Naruto muttered to himself as he leapt through the trees. "I need to hurry. Kai!"

Naruto made a ram hand sign and released his gravity and resistance seals. Instantly, he felt lighter. When Kakashi had told them about Zabuza being alive, Naruto had upped his seal to level 4; he was now carrying roughly 500lbs of extra weight and fighting against a 20mph wind.

"That's better," Naruto said as he blurred through the trees. "Hang on Sakura-chan, Kakashi-sensei, and even you teme, I'm coming."

Meanwhile at the bridge, Sakura, Sasuke and Kakashi along with Tazuna came upon a dreadful sight. The workers who had arrived early had walked into an ambush.

"What happened?" Tazuna asked.

"It was a monster," one of the workers managed to stammer out before succumbing to unconsciousness.

"Looks like Zabuza's already here," Kakashi said.

Bone chilling laughter filled the air as the fog lifted. At the other end of the bridge, Team 7, Kakashi and Tazuna saw Zabuza, looking healthy and fit for battle, alongside him was the hunter-nin who had rescued Zabuza in the first battle.

"Looks like that hunter-nin was working for Zabuza after all," Kakashi said.

"Hello there Kakashi and his brats…wait where is that blonde brat?" Zabuza asked.

"Don't you worry about him Zabuza," Kakashi said. "Sakura, protect Zabuza, I'll take Zabuza and Sasuke, you have the hunter-nin."

"Right," Sakura said, drawing a kunai and jumping in front of Tazuna. Sasuke smirked.

"Well the Haku, looks like you get to play with the boy, oh look he's shaking," Zabuza sneered.

"I'm shaking from excitement," Sasuke said.

"Go Sasuke," Kakashi said.

"Haku," Zabuza said.

"Hai!"

"Hn."

The two vanished from sight before reappearing in between the two parties.

"Looks like the brat's gotten better, to be able to match Haku's speed, impressive," Zabuza said.

"Enough commentary, let's finish this Zabuza," Kakashi said sharply, reveling his Sharingan.

"That isn't much of a trump card if I've already seen it, eh Copy Ninja," Zabuza said.

"Well, you should be honored as you're the first to see my Sharingan twice, and there won't be a third."

"Too right."

The two jonin vanished into the mist.

_'I really wish Naruto was here, we could use his help…wait did I really just think that,'_ Sakura thought.

_**'Yes, and you're right, Naruto would be a big help,' **_**Inner Sakura said.**

_'But it's Naruto.'_

_**'Yeah, but he's a lot different than the baka that we knew at the Academy. I don't know how much he'd help, but I'd feel better with him here.'**_

_'You're right,'_ Sakura conceded.

"Even if you somehow were able to beat me Kakashi, you can't beat Haku, he's the perfect shinobi, a perfect killing machine," Zabuza said.

"I wouldn't worry about Sasuke, he is the Leaf's number one rookie ninja, Sakura is the brightest mind of her generation and Naruto, well Naruto is the Leaf's most surprising, knucklehead ninja," Kakashi said. "Those three are the future, the flame that will illuminate the village and take over the next generation."

Zabuza growled and slashed his monstrous sword across Kakashi's chest, the Leaf-nin leapt back but wasn't quick enough as he received a shallow gash from his left shoulder to right hip.

Meanwhile, Sasuke was battling Haku. The two were evenly matched in speed and taijutsu.

"You are skilled," Haku said as she and Sasuke engaged in close combat. Sasuke had a kunai in hand while Haku blocked the strike with a single senbon needle.

"Of course, I'm an Uchiha, we're the elite," Sasuke sneered.

"Oh an Uchiha, have you the Sharingan?" she asked. Sasuke's face darkened. "I see, well no matter even with it, you will not defeat me."

Sasuke growled. "I will kill you bastard, I'm the strongest ninja in my village."

"Too bad you have already lost, as I have two clear advantages. The first is all this water, and the second is that you can't use any ninja with your hand like this," Haku said.

"Neither can you," Sasuke growled. Haku smiled thinly behind her mask. She raised her hand and began making hand signs.

"Hyoton: Issen Nuibari!" (Ice Release: One thousand needles).

Haku stomped the ground, kicking water into the air where the droplets formed into ice needles. Sasuke's eyes widened as the needles sped toward him from every angle. He channeled some chakra into his legs, and leapt over the needles.

"Impressive, you were able to dodge my attacks," Haku said. "But not this one. Hyoton: Makyo Hyosho!" (Ice Release: Demonic Ice Mirrors).

Mirrors made of ice formed a dome around Sasuke, who could only look on in horror as Haku stepped into one of the mirrors.

"Now, I'll show you the true meaning of speed," Haku said before vanishing into a blur.

"Urgh!" Sasuke cried as his arms and legs were pierced by several senbon needles.

Sakura heard Sasuke's cry of pain. "Sasuke-kun!" she cried, seeing the dome of ice.

"Sakura-chan, what's going on? And where's teme?" Naruto asked as he appeared at her side.

"Naruto!" Sakura yelped. "What are you doing here? Kakashi-sensei said that you wouldn't be awake until at least tomorrow."

"Yeah well, I heal quickly," Naruto said. "Now what's the situation?"

"Kakashi-sensei is facing Zabuza and Sasuke-kun is facing that hunter-nin named Haku."

"Haku?" Naruto asked sharply, his head snapping around.

"Yes, Zabuza called the hunter-nin Haku, why?"

"Never mind, stay with Tazuna, I'm going to help teme," Naruto said.

"Don't call Sasuke-kun that!" Sakura cried. Naruto just rolled his eyes.

"Look, just stay here and stay safe," Naruto said before blurring out of sight.

"He really cares for you," Tazuna said. "Much more than that emo kid does."

"I know," Sakura whispered. _'Please be said, both of you,'_ she finished silently.

"Haku, what are you doing?" Naruto cried as he stopped just outside the dome.

"Dobe, what the hell are you doing here?" Sasuke asked.

"What's it look like I'm doing, I'm saving your ass."

"I don't need you help, dobe, I'm doing fine."

"Really, doesn't look like it from out here," Naruto said. "Haku, what the hell are you doing here? Why are you working with Zabuza?"

"Because Zabuza-sama saved me from my personal hell," Haku said. "I'm his tool to wield as he sees fit."

"Is that all you see yourself as, a weapon?"

"Yes, I am Zabuza's weapon, his to point in any direction in order to accomplish his dream."

"And what about your dreams? What do you want?"

"I have no dreams, only to Zabuza-sama's dream come true."

"I see, well as much as I like seeing the teme getting his ass handed to him, he's a fellow Leaf shinobi and I can't let you kill him. Stop now and we can work something out."

"I'm sorry Naruto, but my orders are clear," Haku said. "You can't be allowed to interfere with Zabuza."

"Very well then, I don't seem to have a choice," Naruto said, his eyes steeling. He quickly charged up his fist with wind chakra and leapt forward. "Futon: Shippuu Dageki no Jutsu!"

"That won't work dobe!" Sasuke cried as Naruto struck at one of the mirrors.

Both Sasuke and Haku watched in amazement as the mirror cracked, distorting Haku's reflection.

"Damnit, it wasn't enough," Naruto growled as he saw the mirror begin to repair itself. "I'm guessing that you're able to repair any damage if you have enough chakra, and water available."

"Impressive, you were able to diagnosis my jutsu in such a short time," Haku said. "But it'll take more than that to break my mirrors."

"I'm sure, but I wonder if they'll hold up against some heat," Naruto said. "Kage Bunshin!" A second Naruto appeared beside the original.

"Dobe, you can't use Fire jutsus!" Sasuke said.

Naruto growled. "Well she didn't know that, but since you let the cat out of the bag, I guess you'll have to supply the flames," he turned to his clone, "Do it."

The clone nodded, and made some hand signs. "Kawarimi!"

Suddenly there was a puff of smoke and then Sasuke was outside the dome next to Naruto.

"Clever, you used a clone to save your teammate but it won't be enough," Haku said.

"Sasuke, give me some fire," Naruto barked.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes but began making hand signs, he took a deep breath and said, "Katon: Ryuka no Jutsu!" A stream of flames billowed out of Sasuke's mouth.

"That won't be enough," Haku said.

"You're probably right, but let's turn up the heat shall we," Naruto said, making hand signs of his own. "Futon: Ookii Aori no Jutsu!"

A stream of wind shot out of Naruto's mouth, it augmented the flames making them nearly whit hot in their intensity. The flames licked at the mirrors, slowly melting them. Haku poured more chakra into maintaining the mirrors but she soon found out that she was quickly running out of chakra.

_'This is impossible, how can two genin have this much chakra,'_ she thought. _'It's too much, I have to release the jutsu.'_

And release it she did. The mirrors quickly melted under the onslaught of flames without Haku's supply of chakra. The firestorm faltered and then burned itself out as Naruto and Sasuke released their jutsus.

"Now then Haku, can we talk? I can understand why you follow Zabuza; he found and took care of you when you had no one. I know the pain of being alone all too well, but a human being is not a weapon, I know this just as well," Naruto said. "You can't let Zabuza run you life, what happens when Zabuza dies, what will you do then?"

"I will do whatever Zabuza-sama wishes," Haku said.

"Man, he's really got you brained washed," Naruto said. "Look Haku, please what are your dreams? Don't give me what Zabuza wants, what do you truly want?"

Haku paused. "I…I don't know what I want," she said. "But I do know that I must follow Zabuza-sama's orders. And that means stopping the two of you."

"You do realize that Gatou is planning on betraying you two when this is over; he tried to kidnap the old man's family earlier. He doesn't believe that you can kill us and the old man, and you know Gatou's right."

"What?" Haku said.

"You can't kill us Haku," Naruto said. "You told me that when one is protecting something precious to you, you truly become strong. And, I won't let you hurt my friends or the old man."

"Very well then," Haku said.

The sound of chirping birds and crackling energy filled the air. Naruto, Haku and Sasuke turned to see the mist clear around the bridge, reveling Kakashi and Zabuza standing roughly 100 feet away. Several dogs were restraining Zabuza while Kakashi had his hand in front of him, blue-white chakra surrounding it.

"Zabuza-sama!" Haku cried, blurring out of sight as Kakashi rushed toward Zabuza.

"No!" Naruto yelled as he rushed after her, Sasuke could barely keep up with their movements but they were clearer than before.

"This is the end of you, Demon of the Mist," Kakashi cried, thrusting his hand forward. "Chidori!"

Suddenly, Haku appeared in front of Zabuza, ready to intercept the jutsu. Kakashi's eyes widened. It was too late to cancel the jutsu or even more around Haku.

"No!" Naruto cried as he appeared and knocked Kakashi's hand aside. "Argh!" he growled as the attack managed to glance off his arm.

"Naruto, what the hell are you doing?" Kakashi cried.

"Sorry sensei, but you can't kill them right now, just wait a bit and you'll see," the blonde said. Blood was dripping from his hand.

"Well Kakashi, looks like you were wrong again," Zabuza sneered.

"Oh shut it, you eyebrow-less freak, the only reason I'm doing this is because I want you to see that Gatou is going to betray you and I also want to know want you really think of Haku?"

Zabuza blinked. "What are you talking about? Haku's my most powerful weapon."

"You're lying," Naruto barked. "I can tell you care for Haku much more than you let on. And I want Haku to realize that, besides we're about to have company."

"What are you talking about?" Kakashi asked.

Applause filled the air. "Well, well, well, is this what the so-called Demon of the Mist has been reduced too? Beaten by a bunch of snot-nosed brats."

"Gatou, what the hell are you doing here?" Zabuza snarled.

"I'm here to reclaim my investment, you see missing-nins are so expensive, so I came up with the brilliant plan to hire all these fine mercs and let them clean up your mess," the short man said."

"So this brat was right, you were planning kicking us to the curb," Zabuza said. "Kakashi, looks like my contract for the old man is over so you have nothing to fear from me anymore."

Kakashi nodded and released the jutsu, the dogs holding Zabuza vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Now then, it seems like I have a new target," Zabuza said. "I was planning on doing this later but I guess now is the perfect time to collect."

"What are you talking about?" Gatou asked.

"You wanted a demon, here's your demon," Zabuza growled. He raised his sword onto his shoulder. "Let's go Haku."

"Hai Zabuza-sama," Haku said, drawing several senbon.

Laughter filled the air as the group of thugs raised their own weapons. "There's over 100 of us, against what a half-dead devil and a punk kid," Gatou cried, grinning madly.

"Well then, let's even the odds then," Naruto said. "Shall we sensei?"

Kakashi nodded. "I won't be able to do much but…Kage Bunshin!" A dozen Kakashi copies appeared. Naruto grinned.

"Taju Kage Bunshin!" he said, roughly 50 more Narutos appeared. The mercs and Gatou looked stunned.

"Well, that certainly changes things," Zabuza said. Sakura, Sasuke and Haku looked at Naruto in amazement. _'How can he create so many clones,'_ Sasuke seethed.

"I like you kid, how about we make a bet? Whoever kills more of these losers has to do the other one a favor?" Zabuza smirked.

"Deal," Naruto said. "But leave Gatou alive, he needs to pay for what he's done to the people of the Wave."

"Fine then," Zabuza said. "Now let's get this party started."

It was over in less than five minutes, and it was a massacre. No bandit was left alive, and Gatou was surrounded by five Naruto clones.

"42," Zabuza said, almost in disappointment.

"27," Kakashi said. The two veteran shinobi looked over at Naruto. The blonde genin looked green at the carnage that he had taken part in.

"So brat, how many?" Zabuza asked.

"45," Naruto said softly.

Zabuza huffed, while Sakura, Tazuna and Sasuke looked at Naruto in awe and a bit of fear.

"I guess you won, so what do you want?" Zabuza asked.

"I want you to tell Haku want you really feel about her," Naruto said firmly. "She thinks that all you see is a weapon but I know there's something more. Now spill!"

Zabuza blinked, he hadn't been expecting that. He took a deep breath, "You're right gaki. Haku, you are more to me than some weapon. It might have started that way when I first found you. I thought that I had found the perfect template to help me accomplish my goals but as time went on those feelings changed. You're like a daughter to me kid, please get rid of this stupid idea that you are nothing more than a weapon to me. You're the closet thing to family that I've ever had and I'm sorry."

Haku looked stunned as tears came to her brown eyes. "Is this true Zabuza-sama?"

"Drop the suffix kid, I don't deserve that admiration," Zabuza said. "But yes its true. You've been like a daughter to me for years and I treated you like scum, when you've done nothing to deserve such treatment. I hope that you can forgive me."

The Leaf-nins were stunned, they would have never thought that the infamous Momochi Zabuza, Bloody Demon of the Mist, to be capable of such…emotion.

"Kid, you're right. People aren't weapons, no matter what anyone says," Zabuza said. "I lost my path, all I wanted to do was to save my home from the tyranny of the Sandiame Mizukage. That's why I staged that coup against him, I wanted to stop the Bloodline Massacres but I quickly became what I was trying to fight. Using Haku's abilities to further my own agenda is not the way to end the Civil War."

"I'm sure that the Bloodline rebels could always use another fighter like yourself Zabuza, I've heard that they're starting to make some headway against the Mizukage," Kakashi said.

"I've heard that as well," Zabuza said. "But I don't want to revel Haku to that type of life."

"Zabuza-sama, my father killed my mother because of his fear of my blood," Haku said. "I don't want another child to suffer that fate as long as I am able. I wish to go back and help."

Zabuza nodded. "Now, what do we do about Gatou?" he asked. Naruto had his clones drag the short man forward.

"Let us handle him," a familiar young voice shouted out. The ninjas turned to find that Inari and most of the villagers had shown up, all of them carrying some type of weapon. Inari was carrying a small crossbow and had a constructions worker's helmet on.

"Inari!" Naruto shouted.

"Don't worry about Gatou, Naruto-nii-san, we'll make sure that he gets what's coming to him," Inari said. The villagers nodded.

"And I'm sure that Gatou's holdings will go a long way to refilling the people of the Wave's wallets," Kakashi said, glaring at the short man, who was trembling under the glares of the villagers, Naruto and Kakashi.

"Mission accomplished," Naruto said as he dropped Gatou at the feet of the villagers. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to take a nap."

**A/N: Finally finished, sorry it took so long. Just got done with finals, very happy with the grades but was exhausted mentally afterwards. This is the longest chapter of any story I've written (31 pages, 6,600+ words), so it was a haul. But extremely glad to be done with it, coming up with an ending for the bridge fight scene was some of the hardest writing I've had to do and I hope that it comes out ok. Please tell me, I'm still working on getting better at fight scenes, so any advice is greatly appreciated. Hopefully, it won't take me as long to get the next chapter up, though I am trying to rotate with my other stories, especially _Silent Partner, _so it might be a week or two. Enjoy, and please review and send me and advice.**

**Thanks, Phoenixflame**


	8. Buildup to Test Day

**Disclaimer: _Naruto _isn't mine, there might be some jutsus that I'll have created that will be listed at the bottom. But everything recognizable from the _Naruto_ universe isn't mine, I'm not doing this for money just for fun.**

Team 7 remained in the Wave for another week, until the bridge had been completed, Zabuza and Haku had left a few days before Team 7 departed, heading for the Mist in hopes of ending the civil war that was decimating the country. As the team was leaving, Tazuna finally revealed the name of the bridge.

"We'll call it 'The Bridge of New Hope,' for it will bring us prosperity and promise," Tazuna said. "And it's all thanks to you four."

Naruto grinned broadly, Sakura blushed madly, Kakashi eye-smiled and Sasuke grunted in thanks.

"Man, I can't wait to get back to the village and tell everyone about our mission," Naruto said as Team 7 made it's way home. "Everyone is going to be so jealous."

"Baka, how can you go brag about our mission like that, we almost died!" Sakura scolded.

_**'Yeah but Ino is going to be so jealous when we tell her,'**_** Inner Sakura yelled.**

"Oh come on Sakura-chan, we helped save an entire country and took down an international criminal on our first real mission, how many people can say that?" Naruto said.

"When you put it that way…" Sakura said. "But Naruto, how can you be so cheerful after killing all those people?"

Naruto's smile faltered then vanished, replaced with a frown. "Please Sakura-chan, don't remind me. I wish that had never happened."

"Pffft dobe, you're just weak, can't stomach the killing," Sasuke scoffed. Kakashi frowned, while Sakura stared at Sasuke.

"No," Naruto said softly. "What I'm scared of was of how easy it was to kill all those men. It scared me to realize that I could take a life that easily, I know that being a ninja means that we will have to kill at some point but…Sensei, does it ever get easier to deal with?"

Kakashi sighed. He knew he should have spoken with his team about making their first kill; it was always the hardest.

"Over time, it diminishes Naruto but the feelings never truly go away," Kakashi said somberly. "And if you ever find yourself not asking yourself that question after taking a life, then you've been doing this too long."

"Thank you sensei," Naruto said before looking ahead. Sakura looked ahead at Naruto's back. _'I hope that I never get that far, to kill without feeling anything,'_ she thought.

_**'Just be glad you were lucky enough that you didn't on this mission,'**_** Inner Sakura said. **_**'But remember, there will come a time when you will have to take a life and the questions will be, whether you have the strength to continue on with that decision.'**_

"Whatever losers, let's just get back to the village," Sasuke said. Kakashi shook his head at the Uchiha.

The return trip to the village only lasted two days rather than the five it took to reach the Wave. After reporting in to the Hokage, who gave Kakashi a stern lecture about putting his team in unnecessary danger, the Hokage raised the rank of the mission from C to high A and the team was paid accordingly.

After receiving their pay, the genin went their separate ways. Sasuke slouched off somewhere, Sakura went to find Ino, most likely to brag about their mission and Naruto made his way back to the Namikaze compound to continue working on completing the Rasengan. He had progressed far enough in the first stage of the Rasengan that he could pop the water balloon in less than a second, and so he decided to move on to the next stage.

His father's notes said that the second stage was to pop a rubber ball using only chakra; this stage would need a whole lot more chakra than the first stage. So Naruto created roughly 100 clones and had them work on the second stage. Naruto soon learned that the second stage was multitudes harder than the first stage. It was much harder to feel the chakra moving in the rubber ball than in the water balloon, moving air with chakra was much harder than moving water because air was weightless.

Team 7 met each day for their missions, all D-ranks, which irritated Naruto and Sasuke who had gotten a taste for traveling on their mission to the Wave. These D-ranks got no complaints from Sakura, mainly because her mind was still on the massacre at the bridge, the dead bodies, blood and cries of pain coming from the mercenaries.

The team had been back in Konoha for nearly a month when Kakashi called for a team meeting. This wasn't irregular, as the team would meet everyday for training or missions; it was irregular because Kakashi was on time.

"WHO ARE YOU?" Naruto and Sakura cried when Kakashi appeared at the training ground at the designated meeting time.

"What are you talking about, I'm Kakashi."

"The hell you are, Kakashi-sensei is never on time," Sakura cried. "Kai!"

Nothing happened.

"Ok that's not a genjutsu, Sasuke, check him with your Sharingan," Naruto said. Sasuke glared at Naruto.

"What are you talking about dobe?" Sasuke said.

"Come on Sasuke, I know you awakened your Sharingan during the Wave mission, but I'm surprised that you didn't go to the top of the Hokage monument and announce it to the whole village," Naruto said.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"Oh Sasuke-kun, congratulations, why didn't you tell…us?" Sakura asked.

"Enough," Kakashi said. "It really is me, and the reason I'm here is to tell you that I've nominated you three for the Chunin Exams that start in a week. Here are your applications; you'll turn them in on the day of the exam. Go to the Academy, room 302 by noon to turn them in and such."

"But sensei, aren't we a little green for the Exams?" Sakura asked.

"Maybe in your age, but you three are very advanced for your ages," Kakashi said. "Don't worry, this is just experience. Think of it as a mission, but it doesn't matter if you fail or not. In fact this is the first time in five years that rookies are taking part."

Naruto and Sasuke grinned and eagerly took their forms, Sakura followed suit, albeit somewhat hesitantly.

"Don't worry Sakura-chan, I'll make sure nothing happens to you," Naruto said. "I'll protect you, and I guess Sasuke as well."

Sakura gave Naruto a grateful smile, while Sasuke glared at the blonde.

"Now then, for the next week we won't be taking missions as I'll be helping you train and review. Sasuke, since you're awakened your Sharingan, I'll work with you on using it as well as ways to detect genjutsu, actually Sakura that will help you practice some genjutsu," Kakashi said. Sasuke's eyes twitched as Sakura hid a squeal.

"What about me sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Well, I can't really help you in regards to your wind chakra training, so I have some scrolls with water and lighting jutsus that I want you to look over. They're mainly defensive jutsus since wind is the most offensive element."

Naruto nodded. "And I'm sure you can find something to keep you busy for the week, perhaps finishing that jutsu," Kakashi added with an eye smile. Naruto's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before they narrowed at the silver haired man.

"What jutsu?" Sasuke asked forcefully.

"It's the jutsu that I started learning during the Wave mission," Naruto said shortly.

"You haven't mastered it yet, it's been over a month, how pathetic," Sasuke sneered. Naruto rolled his eyes but stayed silent, Kakashi narrowed his visible eye at the slight of his sensei's jutsu.

"Whatever teme," Naruto said. "If that's all sensei, can I have those scrolls, I'd like to get started and get out of Sasuke's duck ass hair so he can try and catch up."

Sasuke's eyes flashed red, reveling his Sharingan. "Me, catch up to you dobe," he growled. "You'll never measure up to an elite Uchiha."

"Well, when I meet one I'll be sure to try and find out," Naruto retorted. "Ja ne Sakura-chan, sensei." Naruto took the scrolls from Kakashi before vanishing in a gust of wind.

"Looks like Naruto has advanced in his wind manipulation enough to use an elemental Shunshin, which is a jonin-level skill, still think that Naruto needs to catch up to you," Kakashi said. Sasuke snarled under his breath, while Sakura looked impressed.

The other two members of Team 7 and Kakashi saw neither hair nor hide of Naruto for the week leading up to the Exams. Whenever Sakura or Sasuke would ask (or in Sasuke's case: demand) where Naruto was, Kakashi would just shrug and say, "Training."

"That dobe better not be late," Sasuke said.

"Don't worry Sasuke-kun, Naruto won't be late, he knows that this is important," Sakura said, trying to sooth the agitated Uchiha. "I'm sure that Naruto will meet us at the Academy."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted before vanishing in a swirl of leaves, leaving Sakura alone.

_'What did I say?'_ Sakura thought.

_**'Nothing, that ass just ditched us,'**_** Inner Sakura fumed.**

_'But Sasuke-kun wouldn't do that.'_

_**'Face facts, Sasuke isn't the white prince that people think he is,'**_** Inner Sakura said. **_**'He is an arrogant ass who doesn't care about us, or anyone but himself.'**_

"Hey there Sakura-chan, sorry I'm late," Naruto cried as he leapt down from a building. "I forgot to set my alarm and I just woke up."

"Naruto," Sakura yelled. "Come on baka, we've got to hurry or we're going to be late."

"Easy there Sakura-chan, we've got over an hour," Naruto said. "Don't get so worked up, and relax."

"Naruto-nii-chan," a voice called out. Naruto and Sakura turned to see a trio of children running toward them. In the lead was the grandson of the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Konohamaru. Running beside him were his best friends and classmates, Moegi and Udon.

"Hey there Konohamaru, what's up?" Naruto asked.

"Nii-chan, you said you'd play ninja with us today," Konohamaru said. Moegi and Udon nodded vigorously.

"Oh I did, didn't I?" Naruto said, scratching the back of his head.

"Playing ninja Naruto, really?" Sakura said.

Naruto chuckled. "Relax Sakura-chan, mainly it's me chasing these three around the village, pretty much playing tag or hide and go-seek. Teaches them speed, endurance as well as evasion, detection and hiding skills."

Sakura arched an eyebrow at Naruto's answer. _'Since when was Naruto the smart one, let alone teach anyone anything,'_ she thought.

_**'Well considering you never really gave Naruto a chance, it's not surprising that you don't know a lot about him,'**_** Inner Sakura said, much to Sakura's chagrin.**

"Sorry guys, but I can't play with you today, me and Sakura-chan need to get to the Academy for the Chunin Exams," Naruto said. "Maybe another time. But have you guys been working on your pranks?"

"Of course nii-chan," Moegi said.

"You're telling them to prank people?" Sakura baulked.

"Sure, it teaches them tactics, observation, spying and if they get caught, evasion," Naruto said. "Do you really think that I did all those pranks growing up for no reason?"

"Well kind of," Sakura said sheepishly.

"I guess I can see why," Naruto chuckled. "While some of them were just for fun or toward people who deserved it, most of my pranks helped me develop my skills at being a ninja."

"Say nii-chan, who's the girl?" Konohamaru asked. "Is she…?" The boy raised his hand and wiggled his pinky.

Naruto blushed but shook his head. "No, Sakura-chan is only my teammate," he said. "Anyway, we can't talk any longer or we're going to be late. See ya guys."

"We'll go with you," Konohamaru said. "We were going that way anyway."

Naruto shrugged but nodded. The group set off; the pre-ninja pestering both Naruto and Sakura about missions that they had done and what it was like being a ninja. However, Konohamaru quickly found out that Sakura wasn't as easy going as Naruto. He inadvertently remarked about the size of her forehead, something that the pink-haired genin didn't appreciate. Seeing the look on Sakura's face, Naruto gave Konohamaru the age-old advice when dealing with an angry woman.

"Run Konohamaru!" Naruto cried.

The younger boy took off in a cloud of dust, Sakura hot on his heels. Naruto sighed and raced after the pair, Udon and Moegi behind him.

"Ouch!" Konohamaru yelped as he turned the corner and ran headlong into a taller boy, dressed in a black jumpsuit with a hood and a painted face. The boy was carrying something wrapped in bandages on his back. A blonde haired girl, with a large fan strapped to her back, stood next to him.

"Watch where you're going brat," the boy snapped.

"Sorry," Konohamaru said, getting to his feet.

"Well, you know sorry isn't going to cut it," the boy growled, picking Konohamaru up by the front of his shirt.

"Kankuro, we don't have time for this," the blonde girl said in exasperation. "We're going to be late."

"Oh don't worry Temari, this will be quick. Just going to teach this Konoha brat some manners."

"Hey easy there," Sakura said. "It was my fault that he was running, just let him go."

"I don't think so," Kankuro said. "In fact, I'm going to teach you both some manners; you, for running into me and you girl, for trying to tell me what to do."

Kankuro raised his fist, ready to punch Konohamaru when he felt the cold sting of a kunai up against his throat.

"Put Konohamaru down or I'll make sure you don't enter the Chunin Exams permanently," Naruto growled.

_'What the!'_ Kankuro mentally screamed.

_'Where did he come from, I never sensed him,'_ Temari thought.

"Put him down now," Naruto commanded. Kankuro obliged and released Konohamaru, who scampered behind Sakura. "Good, now get moving. If I ever find you threatening my friends again, I will end you. Oh and tell your friend in the tree to get down here."

Everyone looked confused at this until a short, red-haired boy carrying a large gourd on his back appeared in a swirl of sand.

"Nice of you to join us," Naruto said to the newcomer. "Now, you and your teammates get moving, you don't want to be late. And Sasuke, get down here, you're not fooling anybody."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, before leaping down from the tree. Naruto holstered his kunai and walked over to his team.

"You, what's your name?" the red head asked.

"Uchiha Sasuke," Sasuke replied.

"Not you, the blonde."

"Uzumaki Naruto, and yours is?" Naruto asked.

"Sabaku no Gaara, I look forward to seeing you during the exams," Gaara said, with a maniacal glint in his eyes. Sakura, and the Konohamaru Corps shivered while Sasuke felt a bead of sweat trickle down his brow. Naruto just calmly met Gaara's gaze.

"Nice to meet you Gaara," Naruto said.

"I apologize for my teammate's actions. I will make sure it doesn't happen again," Gaara said. Kankuro and Temari shivered.

"It's fine," Naruto said. He turned to Sasuke and Sakura. "Come on you two, let's go. Konohamaru, you three better go home, all right?"

The three Academy students nodded and raced off. Naruto chuckled at the trails of dust that had been kicked up before walking past Gaara, Temari and Kankoru with Sasuke and Sakura in tow.

"Where the hell have you been dobe? We were supposed to meet at 10:30?" Sasuke demanded.

"Sorry teme, my alarm clock didn't go off but I'm here now all right? Let's just get inside," Naruto said as Team 7 entered the Academy.

They soon found themselves in a hallway packed with genin, all trying to get past a pair of older ninja who were guarding the door to room 302. Naruto recognized a team of Konoha genin that were pleading with the guard ninjas.

"Please, just let us through," the girl with two buns in her hair and wearing a Chinese-style dress pleaded.

"Forget about it, don't know why you're even thinking of taking the Exams," one of the ninjas sneered.

"Yeah, we're each taken the Exams and failed, so there's no way a bunch of baby brats like you will pass," the second ninja said.

"Would you release the genjutsu on the door and let us pass?" Sasuke demanded. The pair of older ninja looked up.

"Well, looks like someone figured it out," the taller one said.

"It's pretty pathetic since we only walked up one flight of stairs," Sasuke said.

"Yeah, and Sakura-chan, you must have been the first one to notice it since you're the genjutsu specialist on our team, right?" Naruto said, giving Sakura a nudge.

"Of course baka, did you even notice it? Since you're the worst on the team at spotting genjutsu," Sakura said.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto whined, putting his head down. Though he was smirking, _'Perfect, hopefully people will now underestimate us,'_ he thought.

"Oh so, you saw through the genjutsu, maybe there is some talent here," the short ninja said. "But let's see if you can see through this."

The ninja sped forward at speeds no genin could match. Sasuke had reflexively activated his Sharingan to follow the movements and made to defend. But before he could react, a green blur appeared between them and caught the kick with his bandaged hand. Everyone in the hallway froze as the bowl-cut, green spandex wearing boy easily pushed the legs of Sasuke and the other ninja aside.

"Fellow Konoha ninja, we shouldn't fight amongst ourselves, it will diminish our flames of youth," the boy said. He turned to Naruto and Sakura, his eyes lit up when they fell upon Sakura.

"Are you Haruno Sakura?" he asked. Sakura nodded. "I am Rock Lee, will you go on a date with me?"

Naruto arched an eyebrow at this. He turned to see Sakura's reaction and wasn't disappointed. Sakura's face was pale and her eyes were twitching, he saw her mouth the word, 'eyebrows' before stammering out, "I'm sorry Lee-san, but I'm not looking for a boyfriend right now."

Sakura's answer surprised all the Konoha ninja, especially Naruto and Sasuke. They all thought that she would shoot Lee down like she would Naruto and declare her love for Sasuke.

Lee blinked before he recovered and smiled brightly. "Yosh! I will have to work harder to win your heart Sakura-chan, if I don't then I will run 1,000 laps around Konoha on my hands."

Naruto's eyes widened. He leaned over and whispered in Sakura's ear. "Hey Sakura-chan, maybe we should grab teme and get upstairs before something else happens."

Sakura nodded, and the pair grabbed a stunned Sasuke and booked it for the next floor. They were halfway across the hall when a voice called out.

"Uchiha Sasuke, I wish to fight you."

Team 7 turned around and saw Rock Lee standing at the other end of the hall, his face serious and set.

"Why should I fight a no-name weirdo like you?" Sasuke scoffed.

Naruto and Sakura glared at the Uchiha but Lee just brushed it aside. "I wish to test myself against the genius Uchiha, as I am the strongest genin in the village. I'm sure you wouldn't want to be known as someone who backs down from a challenge."

_'Oh crap, now Lee's done it,'_ Naruto groaned as Sasuke bristled.

"Fine, you want a fight, let's go," the Uchiha snarled.

"If you two want to measure each other's sticks fine but only for five minutes, or we'll all be late for the exams," Naruto said. Sasuke glared at Naruto while Lee looked excited. Sakura was turning red as she realized the pun Naruto had used.

The fight, if you would call it a fight, was over in two minutes. Sasuke had tried to use his Sharingan to copy whatever jutsu Lee would use. But Team 7 was stunned to learn that Lee was incapable of using nin or genjutsu as he couldn't use chakra, so he dedicated himself to becoming a ninja using only taijutsu.

The fight was interrupted when Lee's jonin sensei, Maito Gai, appeared and stopped Lee from using some type of taijutsu move. Team 7 had been stunned when Gai first appeared, looking like an older clone of Lee. The pair's behavior further intensified the team's unease.

"Lee! I told you not to use that jutsu," Gai cried.

"I'm sorry Gai-sensei, but I wanted to show that I could be a splendid ninja," Lee said.

"LEE!" Gai cried as he rushed forward and punched Lee straight in the face, which sent the genin flying into the way. Team 7 looked on in shock when Gai walked over and pulled Lee out of the rubble. "Now for your punishment, you must run 500 laps around Konoha on your hands."

"Hai Gai-sensei!"

"Oh Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

The pair suddenly embraced each other in a bear hug and Team 7 went wide-eyed as a sunset beach appeared in the background, waves crashing upon rocks could clearly be heard. Naruto reached down and touched the sand.

"Holy shit, it's real!" he cried.

"WHAT!" Sakura and Sasuke snapped.

"It's not a genjutsu, I can touch the sand!" Naruto explained. "Let's get out of here, I don't know how much more of this I can take."

Sakura and Sasuke agreed and the trio raced out of the hall, leaving the two still hugging men, and up the stairs to the third floor.

"Ah good you three are finally…what happened?" Kakashi asked his genin when they stopped running.

"Eyebrows, sunset, beach," Naruto mumbled as he, Sakura and Sasuke shivered violently. Kakashi's visible eye widened as he realized that his genin had been subjected to Gai and Rock Lee's dreaded 'Sunset of Youth' genjutsu. Even Konoha's genjutsu mistress, Yuhi Kurenai, couldn't break it and neither Kakashi's Sharingan or a Hyuga's Byakugan could see through it. The Hokage was even contemplating labeling it as an S-rank genjutsu.

"Well, you three better get your acts together, as just through those doors are your competition," Kakashi said sharply, hoping to snap his genin out of their 'youth' induced funk. "I wish you three luck." Kakashi vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving Team 7 alone.

"You guys ready?" Naruto asked his teammates.

"Of course dobe, you two better not drag me down," Sasuke growled as he shoved open the doors. Naruto and Sakura followed their arrogant teammate into the room.

"Whoa!" Naruto exclaimed. The room was filled wall to wall with fellow genin from all across the Elemental Continent. "Looks like this is going to be fun."

"Yahoo! It looks like we're all here," a familiar voice called out. It was Inuzuka Kiba, who was leading his teammates, Hyuga Hinata and Abrurame Shino.

"Sasuke-kun!" a high-pitched voice cried out. It was Yamanaka Ino, who leapt onto Sasuke's back, much to the displeasure of the Uchiha.

"Lay off Ino-pig," Sakura growled.

"Oh hello there Forehead, jealous much," Ino smirked.

"Not really, just wish I didn't have to hear your grating voice," Sakura said. Ino growled and the girls' conversation quickly descended into squabbling.

"Hey there Shikamaru, Choji, you guys taking the exams as well?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah, its troublesome though. Apparently our sensei heard that yours was nominating you three for the Exams, and Ino didn't want Sakura to hold it against her, so here we are," Shikamaru grouched.

Naruto chuckled. "I see, well sorry about that," he said. "Though I'm sure that your sensei feels that you guys are strong enough to take the exams, hell that even goes for dog breath's team over there."

"Oi!" Kiba cried, Akamaru growling from atop Kiba's head.

"Kiba-kun, I'm sure that Naruto-kun didn't mean anything by it," Hinata said.

"Yeah calm down Kiba," Naruto said. "Just surprised that all three rookie teams are in the exams."

"You know, you guys should be more cautions," a voice said from behind the teams. "You don't want to make enemies."

The speaker was a taller, silver-haired boy who had a Konoha headband on with circular glasses.

"Who are you?" Shikamaru asked sharply. Naruto narrowed his eyes, this guy seemed oily and he smelt funny.

"Yakushi Kabuto, I'm a genin from Konoha such as you all. And I come offering a bit of advice, since you are all rookies, you should keep a low profile. All these genin are here to prove that they are the best of their villages."

"I'm guessing you're not a rookie then, if you are coming to give advice. So how many times have you taken the exams Kabuto?" Shikamaru asked.

"This will be my seventh time taking the exam, my fourth year since the Exams are held every six months," Kabuto said.

"Wow, you must be really weak," Kiba scoffed.

"Or the exams are much harder than you think, troublesome," Shikamaru said.

"Good, I like a challenge," Naruto declared grinning broadly.

"Kabuto-san, if you've taken the exams so many times, you must know quite a bit about the competition, right?" Sakura asked.

"Indeed, thanks to my Nin-info cards," Kabuto said, pulling out a deck of cards that were blank. "They respond only to my chakra, that way no one else can use them."

"Nifty trick," Naruto commented, not liking this Kabuto more and more.

"Do you have information on individual ninja?" Sasuke asked. Kabuto smiled and nodded. "I want to know about Rock Lee, Sabaku no Gaara and Uzumaki Naruto."

"Oh you know their names, that makes it too easy," Kabuto said, pulling three cards from the deck.

"Sasuke, we're teammates, you already know me," Naruto said. Sasuke ignored him.

"Let's see. Rock Lee, genin from Konohagakure, a year older than you, this is his first time taking the exam as his sensei, Maito Gai, wanted his team to get more experience. His teammates are Hyuga Neji and Tenten. His skills in taijutsu have skyrocketed in the past year, while his gen and ninjutsu skills are nonexistent. He has completed 65 D-rank, 12 C-rank and 2 B-rank missions."

"Sabaku no Gaara, he's teammates with Sabaku no Temari and Sabaku no Kankoru. Not mush is known about his skills, though it's said that he's never been injured on any mission. And he's completed 12 D-rank, 0 C-rank and one B-rank missions. Wow, a B-rank mission as a genin."

Naruto's eyes widened. _'Wasn't even injured on a B-rank mission, interesting,'_ he thought.

"Now, Uzumaki Naruto. Failed the graduation exam three times before passing this year. Knows the Kage Bunshin, and wow, has three elemental affinities: wind, water and lighting. Teammates are Uchiha Sasuke, the Rookie of the Year this year, and Haruno Sakura, the top kunoichi, and they are students of Hatake Kakashi. His taijutsu and ninjutsu are quite advanced for his age but it says that he has no talent for genjutsu. Naruto has completed 15 D-rank, 0 C-rank, 1 B-rank and an A-rank mission in which Team 7 encountered the S-rank missing nin, Momochi Zabuza, and got away."

The Konoha rookies were stunned, they were all starring at Naruto; Kiba and Ino were looking at him in disbelief, Hinata looked amazed while Shikamaru and Shino looked at Naruto with calculating looks, as if they were reevaluating their opinions of him.

Naruto was inwardly fuming, and his suspicion of Kabuto had skyrocketed. The only ones who knew about his B-rank mission were himself and the Hokage. The Hokage had awarded Naruto the payment of a B-rank mission for his defeat and capture of Mizuki.

"There's no way the dobe is that good," Kiba exclaimed loudly.

"Naruto, what's this about completing a B-rank mission?" Sasuke demanded. "We haven't done one, only that A-rank to the Wave."

Naruto didn't answer, he was too busy trying to figure out how Kabuto knew about the B-rank and his elemental affinities, as far as he knew, only Kakashi, Team 7 and most likely the Hokage knew.

"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted.

"Stow it Sasuke," Naruto growled. "I don't have time for your petty arguments and demands. So shut up."

"Why you!" the Uchiha roared, he was about to grab Naruto when there came an explosion of smoke at the front of the room.

"Freeze!" a man roared. "If you don't stop now, you'll be disqualified."

Sasuke snarled but took a step back from Naruto, still glaring hatefully at the blonde's back.

"Good, now then take a seat and shut up," the man, who towered over everyone in the room, barked.

The Chunin Exams had finally begun.

**A/N: I tried to make the Gai/Lee scene with the 'Sunset of Youth' genjutsu that many people use to great comedic effect, I don't know if I made the scene funny though, so if you have any suggestions on how to make it funny or funnier, please let me know. Always looking for more ideas to help make this story better, so please read and review.**

**Thank you to College6Jazz for pointing out that I spelt Kankuro's name wrong, have gone back and corrected it. **

**Phoenixflame**


	9. Campsite: Forest of Death

**Disclaimer: The _Naruto _universe isn't mine, just playing around with it for some fun.**

"Now then, you're all here for the Chunin Exam," the tall man growled. "I'm your proctor, Morino Ibiki. Now everyone take a number and find your seat."

Naruto took a number, 43, and sat down. He spotted Sakura two rows behind him, and several seats down the row, while Sasuke was a row behind her. _'So they separated us, now what?'_ Naruto thought.

"Hello there Naruto-kun," a soft voice said from Naruto's side.

It was Hinata. "Oh hi there Hinata, I didn't see you there," Naruto said.

"Pipe down brats, now let me explain the rules. You all will be taking a written exam," Ibiki said. Naruto's eyes widened.

_'Oh shit!'_ Naruto mentally shouted.

"Now this exam has some special rules. You will start with 10 points, one for each question. Each question you answer incorrectly, you will lose a point. However the 10th question won't be given until 15 minutes remain in the test. As you can see around the room, we have our special force of spotters."

"Spotters for what?" Kankuro asked.

"Cheaters," Ibiki said. "Our spotters are trained to spot everything going on in this room. Now, this test is a team test even though you are all separated. If a person get all the questions wrong, and gets 0 points, failing the test, the entire team fails."

_'Oh crap, I know there are at least two people who want to kill me,'_ Naruto cringed as he felt the eyes of Sasuke and Sakura on him.

"If you are caught cheating, you lose two points instantly," Ibiki said.

_'Wait what, he's going to give us a chance to cheat. We can get caught five times before we lose all our points,'_ Naruto thought. _'That doesn't make sense; Iruka-sensei always said that if you were caught cheating, you'd fail immediately. Something is going on here_.'

"You will have an hour starting from when I say go," Ibiki said. "Begin!"

Naruto turned over his paper and looked down at the questions, his heart dropping with each one.

_'There's no way I can answer any of these, I think even Sakura-chan would have trouble answering them, and she's the smartest person I know,'_ he thought. _'If I can't answer these questions by myself and our team is separated, how am I supposed to get the answers? I could wait until for the 10__th__ question but what if it's another one that I can't answer. I have to find a way to answer at least one question, but how?'_

Naruto stared at the exam paper, hoping to will an answer onto the blank paper. Twenty-five minutes passed and still the paper was blank.

_'Damnit nothing,'_ Naruto thought. _'That rule that the proctor told us about, how each time we are caught cheating we would lose two points. That means we would cheat five times before failing but why five times? Usually, when we were given exams at the Academy, we would fail if we were caught just once. Wait, that's it, scratching post wants us to cheat!'_

Naruto looked around the room. The examiners were looking around the room, marking notes on their clipboards.

_'They must be marking down the number of times a person has cheated,'_ Naruto realized. _'So how do I cheat without getting caught? I don't have any special to use and I'm sure Sasuke is using his Sharingan if he's realized the idea. The Kage Bunshin would be perfect since I get all its memories when it dispels but I can't make a copy of myself without someone noticing. I need a distraction…and I've got the perfect idea.'_

Naruto slammed his head down on the table, catching the attention of quite a few of the proctors, including Ibiki.

_'What's he up too? He purposely smacked his head against the desk but why?'_ the man thought.

Underneath the desk, Naruto made several hand signs, ones for his newest Futon jutsu. _'Futon: Kage Bunshin!'_ he said mentally. Underneath the desk, a hazy image of Naruto appeared, almost like a mirage or if you were to look at a road on a sweltering day. The clone quickly Henge'd into a fly and began it's route.

Naruto picked his head and saw Ibiki glaring at him. Naruto grinned sheepishly at the tall man before turning back to his paper. Inside, he was praying to Kami that this worked. Naruto had never been able to hold this jutsu for longer than two minutes, that's how long he could sustain the flow of wind chakra. And that was without the clones using any techniques, using the Henge on the clone was a risk he was going to have to take.

Suddenly Naruto stiffened as the clone dispelled and the memories came flooding to him, the backlash was stronger than using a normal Shadow Clone since he was using his elemental chakra to perform the jutsu.

Luckily, the clone had been able to find Sakura's paper and study enough to answer two questions. Naruto quickly scribbled down the answers and looked up at the clock, he had five minutes until the final question was to be announced.

_'Hopefully that should be enough for us to pass, I don't want to try the wind clone again because I don't have enough time to build up enough wind chakra,'_ Naruto thought.

"All right pencils down," Ibiki barked five minutes later. "It's time to give out the final question but first, I have to tell you the final rules."

"What!" a genin from the Mist cried. "Another rule!"

"Yes, there's another rule, now sit down and shut up or get out," Ibiki roared. The Mist genin dropped into his seat. "Now this rule is as follows, will you take the final question?"

"What do you mean? Of course, we'll take it," a voice cried out. "Why wouldn't we?"

"Ah there's the kicker, if you decide to take the question and get it wrong, you fail."

"But that would mean?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, if one person fails, then the team fails," Ibiki smiled. "Oh and one more thing, in addition to failing this exam, if you get it wrong, you are banned from taking the Exam ever again!"

Cries of outrage met this. "What! But people have taken the Exam before, and they got to retake it," a Cloud ninja cried out.

"Well too bad, they were lucky that they didn't have me as proctor, now choose! But choose wisely, as it isn't just your future riding on this but your teammates' as well."

Slowly hands were raised and the failing teams were led out of the room. Naruto looked at Ibiki. _'There's something he's not telling us, this is just like the earlier rules he gave us,'_ he pondered. _'But what is it?'_

"Is that everyone?" Ibiki asked. "Remember, if you get this question wrong, you and your teammates will be stuck as genin forever."

Naruto noticed that Hinata and Sakura's hands were on the verge of being raised. He knew both kunoichis had confidence issues, and he knew that they both cared about their teammates very much; well Sakura cared more for Sasuke than Naruto, while Hinata cared for Kiba and Shino equally.

Naruto slammed his hand down on the desk, shocking everyone. "Would you just ask the damn questions already?" he shouted. "We're all ninja, we can take anything you can throw at us. I don't care if I do fail, and while my teammates will probably kick the crap out of me afterwards if I do, I don't care if I'm a genin forever. I will still become Hokage someday."

Ibiki looked at Naruto through narrowed eyes. _'You've got some set on you brat, shouting out like that. Then again, he just wiped out the others' hesitation, guess they don't want to be outdone by a wet-behind-the-ears gaki.'_

He looked at the other proctors, who smirked or nodded at him. Ibiki sighed, closed his eyes, took a deep breath and said, "Congratulations, you all pass the first exam!"

Naruto fell out of his chair. "What the hell are you talking about?" he cried.

"Yeah, what about the 10th question?" Ino asked.

"Well, the decision to take the 10th question was actually the 10th question, in fact it was the whole point of the test," Ibiki said grinning.

"WHAT!" several voice shouted out.

"The point of this exam was to see how far you all were willing to go and how good your information gathering skills are," Ibiki said. "As a chunin, you will be the team leader and it will be up to you to make decision and sometimes those decisions have dire consequences."

Ibiki removed his headband, which had covered the top of his head. Several people had to put their hands over their mouths in order to hold in their breakfasts. Ibiki's head looked like Swiss cheese; there were holes and scars covering nearly every inch of his head.

"You all must have the courage to make the hard decisions in life, that is what it means to be a chunin," Ibiki said.

"Then what was the point of having us try and answer the other questions?" an Ame nin asked.

"That was to test how well you could gather accurate information under pressure," Ibiki said. "Someday, you might find yourself on an espionage mission and you need to make sure that the information you gather is accurate or it could cost lives."

"So you wanted us to cheat but not get caught," Naruto said. Sakura and Sasuke looked at their teammate somewhat stunned that the blonde noticed; their fellow rookies were even more impressed.

Ibiki smiled. "Exactly," he said. Naruto laughed.

Just then a window shattered and a black ball came flying through. A banner unfurled itself to revel, 'Mitarashi Anko, Sexy, Single and the Second Proctor.'

"What the hell Ibiki? You left 25 teams for me, you're getting soft," Anko whined.

"Or maybe it's because this bunch has some talent," Ibiki said. "And besides Anko, you're early."

"Whatever," Anko scoffed. She turned to the stunned, and in some cases, slobbering genin in front of her. "All right you maggots, you've got one hour to gather up your gear and meet me at training ground 44, better not be late."

The purple haired kunoichi leapt out the window without another word. The 'surviving' genin filed out of the room. As Team 7 left the room, Naruto turned to his teammates and said, "I'll catch up. I've got to use the bathroom. That exam got my blood pumping, I was lucky enough to hold it in as long as I have."

"Baka," Sakura cried, slapping him upside the head. "We don't need to hear that."

"Dobe, just don't be late or I will come after you," Sasuke growled as he leapt off, leaving Sakura to catch up.

Naruto watched as Sakura raced after Sasuke, he waited until he could no longer sense her before making a Shadow Clone.

"Go find the old man and tell him about Kabuto," Naruto said. "That guy knows way more than he should."

The clone nodded and rushed off. Naruto made his way from the Academy after his team while the clone raced across rooftops to the Hokage Tower.

"All right gakis, listen up," Anko cried. "Behind me is Konoha's Training Ground #44, also known as the 'Forest of Death' and this is where you'll be spending the next five days."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"The Second Phase of the Exams is a survival test as well as battle royale," Anko said. "And this Exam will cut the number of teams in half at least." She held up two scrolls; one with the kanji for Earth and the other with the kanji for heaven. "In order to pass, your team must have both scrolls and be in the tower at the center of the training ground by 3pm in five days time. You will all have to spend all five days in the training ground."

"What about food? How will we eat?" Choji asked.

"There's plenty of food in there," Anko said, pointing at the forest behind them. "Though you all will be considered food for some of the animals in there as well."

There came a loud roar from the forest, sending chills up the spines of several genin.

"So, this is a search and recovery mission basically?" Naruto asked. "Each team will have one of the scrolls and we have to get the other scroll that we don't have in order to pass."

"Looks like the blondie figured it out," Anko said. "However…" A kunai came speeding toward Naruto, the blonde smoothly leaned out of the way.

"I'd appreciate it if you don't try and sneak up on me proctor-san," Naruto said, holding a kunai in a reverse grip, its tip pointing right at Anko's stomach.

"Well, well, well, the gaki has got some quick reactions," Anko whispered in Naruto's ear. Naruto shivered, then stiffened when he felt another presence approach them.

"You might want to take the kid's advice and not try and sneak up behind me. I have an itchy trigger finger," Anko said.

"My apologies," a soft voice said. "I was just returning your kunai."

"Thank you Kusa-san," Anko said. Naruto zoned out as he got the same oily feeling and smell from the Kusa ninja that he did from Kabuto, only much stronger. Naruto blankly listened to Anko explain the rules of the exam and robotically took the release form and signed it.

"Naruto, are you all right?" Sakura asked as a Chunin led Team 7 to their gate.

"Yeah, I'm fine Sakura," Naruto said. "Just getting ready, this exam is about to get a whole lot of interesting."

_'He didn't call me Sakura-chan,'_ Sakura said to herself.

_**'That means he's worried about something, we need to stay focused in there,'**_** Inner Sakura said.**

There was a bell chime and the gate opened. Team 7 leapt into the forest and vanished into the trees.

"So what's the plan Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked.

"We should find a team with an Earth scroll and take it from them," Sasuke growled.

"We know that teme, but how do we figure out which teams have a Heaven scroll?" Naruto said.

"And how do we find a team in the first place?" Sakura asked.

"I can help with that," Naruto said. "Though it might be limited in the forest."

"What are you talking about dobe?" Sasuke sneered.

"You remember how I said that Iruka-sensei was the only one who could ever find me after I had done one of my pranks."

"Yes, what of it?" Sakura asked.

"Well, when we got back from the Wave, I went to him and asked him out he did it. And he said it was because of a jutsu that he had created," Naruto said. "And he taught it to me."

"What type of jutsu could that weak teacher could come up with that could help us?" Sasuke growled.

Naruto glared at Sasuke, while Sakura looked at the Uchiha in disbelief.

"It's called Chakra Denpatanchiki. The user sends out a burst of chakra and it bounces off items, like trees, stores or people. The downside is that it takes a shit load of chakra to use effectively and if a person is sensitive enough they could sense and feel the chakra pulse."

"So it's useless then, why did you even bring it up?" Sasuke snapped.

"Well then Sasuke, do you have an idea?" Naruto retorted. "Cause I haven't heard you come up with anything. And besides I doubt that any of the genin here are sensitive enough to feel the pulse."

"Sasuke-kun, let's go with Naruto's plan, it's the best that we've got," Sakura said. "And if it doesn't work, it doesn't, and we can figure something else out."

Sasuke just snorted. Naruto and Sakura took that as assent.

"Thanks for the support Sakura-chan," Naruto said.

"Of course Naruto, what are friends for?" she replied. Naruto beamed at her, which cause Sakura to mentally frown.

_'Why'd he react like that? What did I say?'_ she thought.

"Just get on with it," Sasuke barked.

Naruto rolled his eyes at the Uchiha but didn't say a word. He just made a ram hand sign and gathered his chakra. It welled up inside him like a volcano and when Naruto felt he could no longer hold it in, he released it.

"Chakra Denpatanchiki!" Naruto muttered. The pulse of chakra shot out from Naruto, passed over Sasuke and Sakura, who shivered at the feeling, and engulfed a good ½ square mile. Naruto winced as the pulse came back and the feelings of awareness flooded his head.

"What was that?" Sakura asked.

"So you guys felt that?" Naruto asked. Both genin nodded. "Thought so, since you were both close to me, you got a stronger dose of the feeling. The pulse hadn't spread out as much."

"So did it work?" Sasuke demanded.

"Yeah but hold on, I'm still sifting through everything," Naruto said. "There we go. There's a team of genin heading our way, must have noticed the chakra buildup. They're approaching from 10 o'clock and should be here in less than two minutes."

"So what should we do?" Sakura asked.

"Fight them head on," Sasuke snapped.

"No," Naruto said. "More teams are probably on their way here too. We need to finish this quickly and not get trapped."

He quickly made two Shadow Clones and had them transform into Sasuke and Sakura. "Go find someplace to hide, them when this team shows up. I'll lure them out and then you two ambush them and find their scrolls."

Sasuke snarled but Sakura pulled him into the trees. Naruto turned to his cloned teammates and settled in, making it seem like they were arguing, which wasn't very difficult.

"What do we have here? A bunch of Konoha brats trying to play ninja," a male voice cackled from the branches above Naruto.

"Man, do you guys have a book or scroll that gives you cheesy intimidation lines?" Naruto retorted with a smirk. "Seriously, you couldn't frighten a toddler much less me."

The dark haired ninja snarled down at Naruto, who recognized him as an Iwa ninja. _'This could turn ugly if he thinks I look like tou-san,'_ Naruto thought.

"You know aniki, this kid looks a lot like the Yellow Flash, the Yondaime Hokage, doesn't he?" another voice, this one female, said.

"You're right Katsumi," the older boy said. "And you know what we think of the Yellow Flash back home."

_'Shite,'_ Naruto thought. "I'm flattered that you think I look like the Yondaime, but I mean come on," Naruto said. _'Come on Sasuke, Sakura-chan, where are you?'_

"So we've got a Yondaime look-a-like, a pink-haired girl and a boy with a duck's ass on his head pretending to be ninja," a third voice called out. Naruto turned and saw a boy looking down at him from the trees. The boy was huge, easily 6ft tall and built like a wall.

"You know, at first we were just going to rough you all up a bit and take your scroll," the first boy said. "But since you look so much like the Yellow Flash, now we're going to make sure you fail this exam, permanently."

The air in the clearing seemed to freeze as Naruto tensed and slowly drew a kunai.

"I'd like to see you try, and maybe I'll show you how similar me and the Yellow Flash are," Naruto said cryptically. Naruto surged toward the tallest one, while 'Sasuke' and 'Sakura' went after the other two.

The tall Iwa ninja was surprised at the speed that Naruto possessed. _'Looks like he does have some skill after all, though it won't be enough.'_

Clang! Naruto thrust his kunai at his opponent, who easily blocked it. "You know it's polite to introduce yourself when attacking," the boy smirked.

"Uzumaki Naruto, the future Hokage of Konoha, and you?" Naruto responded.

"Nadare Kenshin," the boy answered. Naruto nodded.

"What the hell!" came from behind them as Kenshin's two teammates defeated 'Sasuke' and 'Sakura' easily, only for them to disappear in puffs of smoke.

"Shadow Clones!" the boy cried. "Katsumi, be careful…" Suddenly, Sasuke appeared behind the boy and knocked him out with a kunai to the back of the neck.

"Aniki!" Katsumi cried but Sakura disabled her.

"What the!" Kenshin growled. He turned his eyes on Naruto. "You made clones into your teammates and had them hid to ambush us, clever."

"Naruto, I've got the scroll, it's a Heaven scroll," Sakura cried. Naruto grinned.

"That's great Sakura-chan," Naruto cried. "Now, you've got a choice; either fight and risk the chance that you could get hurt too much to continue, or you can leave and take your teammates and go."

"Or I could kill you, your teammates and then take your scrolls," Kenshin roared. "Doton: Yurasu Yoroi!"

Tendrils of earth came up and surrounded Kenshin, laying on his body like plates of armor.

"Come on Uzumaki, let's see how you stand up to a real ninja," Kenshin cried, slamming his fists together.

"All right then," Naruto said. He took his taijutsu stance and waited. Kenshin surged forward, much faster than one would think he could covered in rock armor.

Naruto dodged a punch, then spun out of the way of a kick. However, as he made the spin, Naruto's back was turned for a spilt second and that was all Kenshin needed.

"Assai Kobushi!" the Iwa ninja roared, slamming his fist into Naruto's back. Naruto cried out as he was propelled into the brush like a rocket.

"Pathetic," Kenshin sneered. "Your teammate is done for, that punch probably broke his back, he'll be lucky to ever walk again, let alone fight."

Sasuke growled while Sakura looked terrified.

"Man, that was one hell of a punch," a familiar voice said. Naruto stepped out of the bushes, cut up and dirty but no worse for wear.

"How! That punch should have broken your spine!" Kenshin exclaimed.

"Well, it almost did," Naruto said calmly.

"How?" Kenshin demanded.

"Now that would be telling," Naruto taunted. "Tell you what, if you can beat me I'll tell you."

"Naruto, what the hell are you doing scaring me…and Sasuke-kun like that?" Sakura cried.

"Don't worry Sakura-chan, I was just checking out this guy's strength," Naruto said. "And he's no slouch but it will take more than some hard packed dirt to beat me."

Naruto turned back to Kenshin, his eyes an icy blue. "Shall we get serious then?" he asked.

Kenshin growled, and rushed forward. "You can't beat me Naruto, my armor is as hard as iron," Kenshin cried. Naruto dodged a flurry of strikes before leaping backward to gain space. He made a flurry of hand signs.

"Futon: Kamaitachi!" Naruto cried. He lashed out with his foot. A thin slash appeared across Kenshin's chest.

"Impressive, but you'll have to do better than that to beat me," Kenshin scoffed.

"I intend too," Naruto roared. "Futon: Shippuu Dageki!"

Sakura and Sasuke were stunned to see the chakra swirling around Naruto's fist. Kenshin was also sunned. _'That looks like the Yellow Flash's jutsu, the Rasengan!'_

Naruto sped forward and thrust his fist at Kenshin's chest right where his Kamaitachi has connected. The earth armor that had been protecting Kenshin began to crack under the blow. Kenshin leapt backward as Naruto ended the jutsu.

"Damnit, it wasn't strong enough," Naruto growled. "It needs to be a more focused attack to do the job."

_'That was too close, luckily I had enough chakra built up in my armor,'_ Kenshin thought. _'But I need to finish this fast, while this jutsu increases my strength and protects me from most attacks, it also saps a lot of my chakra.'_

Naruto looked up at Kenshin, who was breathing heavily. "I'm guessing that that armor is draining your chakra quickly. You can't win this fight," the blonde said.

"Just shut up, you haven't won yet you chibi-Yondaime clone," Kenshin roared. "Kai!"

The dirt armor fell away, leaving Kenshin muddy and sweaty.

"It's time for you too die," Kenshin roared. He sped forward and lashed out with a right hook. Naruto ducked under the punch, but Kenshin was ready. He brought his left knee up quickly and caught Naruto under the chin, snapping the blonde's head back.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried, as the blonde was knocked backward. Kenshin began pummeling Naruto with devastating punches and kicks.

"Sasuke-kun, we've got to help him!" Sakura cried. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the fight and was about to enter when they heard Naruto cry out, "No stay out of this. You two need to stay sharp in case anyone else shows up. I can handle him."

Naruto struggled to his feet, his face a bit bloodied and bruised but otherwise fit.

"You can't beat me punk, you can barely stand," Kenshin cackled.

"Don't count on it!" Naruto said. "Kai!"

Sakura and Sasuke's eyes widened. They knew what had just happened.

"This is no genjutsu idiot!" Kenshin laughed.

"Who said that I was releasing a genjutsu," Naruto said, his voice tight. "Let's finish this. Kage Bunshin!"

Five clones appeared and quickly surrounded Kenshin. Their hands flashed through hand signs, as did Kenshin. It would all come down to who finished first.

"Futon: Kamaitachi!"

"Doton: Yurasu Tetsu Supea!"

The earth around Kenshin trembled as it crept up his legs, to his arm where it formed a spear in Kenshin's hand. The five Naruto clones all charged forward, their speed greatly increased and struck. Their wind chakra aided kicks cut slashes deep into Kenshin.

A sixth clone appeared next to the air-born Kenshin and cried out, " Futon: Shippuu Dageki!"

Kenshin made to block the blow with his earth spear but the blow shattered the spear and shot the Iwa ninja a further twenty feet into the air.

"This is it, Ashi Kakuheki!" Naruto cried appearing above Kenshin. The axe kick caught Kenshin in the small of the back and sent him spiraling to the ground, where he landed with a resounding thud. Naruto landed a few feet away outside the crater that Kenshin had created, breathing heavily.

"Naruto," Sakura cried as she and Sasuke appeared at his side. "Are you all right? What the hell were you thinking, taking that guy on alone!"

"Sorry Sakura-chan but I wanted to make sure you two were at 100% in case we had any other visitors," Naruto said.

A groan was heard from the crater.

"Wow Kenshin, you are one tough kid but you're done," Naruto said. "You used up the remainder of your chakra trying to protect yourself on that last move. We already have your scroll so unless you can find two more, this will be the end of your Exam."

"We're not done Uzumaki," Kenshin growled, trying to crawl out of the crater.

"Yes we are, you are a hell of a fighter, maybe we can fight again," Naruto said. "But now, me and my team need to get moving. Come on Sasuke, Sakura-chan."

"Dobe, we can't just leave them like this, they might come after us," Sasuke said. "We should kill them."

"No!" Naruto barked. "We will not kill them, especially when they can't defend themselves. And besides, if they come after us again, they'll know how I fight but not you two. And since I was the worst in our graduating class, I think they'll be wary."

"He's right Sasuke, we should go," Sakura said. "It's getting late. We probably won't get to the tower today, so we should find a safe spot to camp and rest, before moving out in the morning."

Sasuke glared at his teammates but assented. Team 7 leapt off, Heaven and Earth scroll in hand, leaving the Iwa team alone. About an hour later, they found a fallen tree that's roots formed a sort of cave.

"Let's stop here for the night," Naruto said. "Remember no fires, we don't want anyone to find our location. I'll take the first watch, Kage Bunshin!" Twenty clones appeared.

"Surround the camp and patrol, if you find another team approaching, dispel immediately," Naruto ordered. "Now go!"

The clones vanished into the night. Silence feel over Team 7's campsite as Naruto sat just inside the 'cave' mouth with Sakura and Sasuke asleep inside.

_'I wonder how jiji took to my visit earlier,'_ Naruto thought as he leaned back and watched the stars.

**Jutsus: **

**Chakra Denpatanchiki: **it means chakra radar, I've seen other authors use a similarly named jutsu, so I decided to make my own version. Hopefully, it's not the same as the other ones. As Naruto explains, the user sends out a burst of chakra from his/her body, then the chakra bounces off anything. If someone has chakra, they make a louder ping so to speak.

**Doton: Yurasu Yoroi:** Earth Release: Rock armor. Kenshin uses his chakra to gather up rock and earth to form armor that covers him whole body. Protects him from most attacks, though the chakra drain is considerable

**Doton: Yurasu Tetsu Supae:** Earth Release: Rock Spear. Pretty self-explanitory. Kenshin gathers dirt, rock and earth, then using his chakra, compresses it into a spear that's as hard as iron.

**Futon: Kage Bunshin: **Wind Release: Shadow Clone. Again pretty self-explanitory. Naruto uses his futon chakra to make a shadow clone, though this clone isn't truly 'solid.' It's more like a mirage, allowing it to observe undetected. Uses up a lot of Naruto's wind chakra so he can't use many of them yet and he can't hold it very long as well, yet.

**A/N: And there's chapter nine of Underneath. I got a review a couple chapters back saying that I needed to watch Naruto's opponents' strength level, don't want him to win too easily. So Kenshin is my first attempt at making an opponent stronger, hopefully I did pretty well. Any suggestions on how to make the story better, or how to make the fight scenes seem more realistic please tell me. I want to get better at writing the fight scenes. So please read and review,**

**Phoenixflame**


	10. Escaping the Snake

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Naruto_, I'm not making any money from this. Just having some fun with the _Naruto_ universe, enjoy.**

_"Naruto-kun, what are you doing here?" the Sandiame said in amazement._

_ "Easy jiji, I'm just a clone," 'Naruto' said. "We've got a problem. One of the genin, a Yakushi Kabuto, knows a lot more than he should."_

_ "What do you mean?" Hiruzen said._

_ "Well for one, he knows about my B-rank mission," Naruto said. The Hokage's eyes widened. "He also knows of my elemental affinities and the details of Team 7's mission to the Wave."_

_ "You think that this Kabuto is a spy, or a traitor, like Mizuki?"_

_ "I'm leaning more toward spy, since he has all that classified information. Also he smelled weird, like snakes or some other reptiles," Naruto said._

_ "Snakes?" the Hokage said._

_ "Yes, snakes, any idea why? The only person I've heard of using snakes was Orochimaru," Naruto said._

_ "This could be either very good or very bad," the Hokage said. "Naruto, what I'm about to tell you is an S-class secret."_

_ "Oh joy another one," Naruto grumbled. But seeing the look in the Hokage's eyes, Naruto added quickly, "Sorry Hokage-sama."_

_ "We have received reports that Orochimaru has founded a new village, the Sound," Hiruzen said. "It's possible that he is planning something regarding the Chunin Exams."_

_ "I wonder if Kabuto is a spy then, his nin-info cards seem too detailed to have just gotten information off our ninja registration," Naruto said. "Also he said that he failed the Chunin Exams seven times, that strikes me as odd."_

_ "Quite so Naruto-kun, please be careful during the Second Exam," the Hokage said. "I would like to see you do well."_

_ "Oh don't worry old man, we'll do fine, believe it."_

_ The clone dispelled, leaving the office empty save the Hokage._

"So Orochimaru could be planning something, but what does that Kabuto guy have to do with it?" Naruto muttered to himself as he watched the stars from his perch. "And that Kusa nin who snuck up on me and the proctor really smelled like snakes, I mean, reeked of them. What's that about?"

"Naruto!" Sasuke's voice broke through his thoughts.

Naruto turned to see Sasuke standing above him.

"What's up?" the blonde asked.

"My turn for watch, go head in and get some sleep," Sasuke said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder to the cave. Naruto nodded.

"My clones are still out there so nothing's come by," Naruto said. "If any dispel, that should be enough to wake me up."

Sasuke shrugged. Naruto clapped the Uchiha on the shoulder and leap down to the cave mouth. He walked in and unsealed his sleeping bag, and climbed in. Just before he closed his eyes, Naruto looked over and saw Sakura asleep in her own sleeping bag.

_'She looks so beautiful,'_ Naruto thought as he rolled onto his side and fell asleep.

Sunlight streamed through the canopy of the Forest of Death. It was day two of the second phase of the Chunin Exams, and Team 7 was getting ready to move our from their campsite. Sasuke and Naruto had let Sakura sleep the entire night. But when she awoke, Sakura laid into the boys for not letting her do her share of the watch.

"Relax Sakura-chan, we just wanted to make sure that you were at 100% for today, you're the one who keeps me and the teme from doing something stupid."

Sakura blushed. "That didn't stop you from acting like an idiot yesterday against that Iwa team, you could have been seriously hurt. And if you had been, where would that have left Sasuke and me. You really need to be more careful," Sakura said.

"Gomen Sakura-chan, it was just something I needed to do," Naruto said. "I wanted to see how strong I am. Sasuke knows what I mean."

"Hn," the Uchiha grunted.

"Boys," Sakura sighed. "Let's just get to the tower, I want to get this test over with."

"Right then Sakura-taichou," Naruto said cheekily.

"Naruto," Sakura growled. Naruto grinned and leapt out of Sakura's reach.

"Come on you two, let's go," Sasuke said. The other two felt their cheeks burn slightly but they followed the Uchiha into the forest.

They had been going slowly as to avoid any unwanted attraction, though Naruto felt that someone or something was watching them. They were less than two kilometers from the Tower when Naruto felt a great chakra spike.

"Take cover," Naruto roared as a great gust of wind shot through the clearing.

"Argh!" Naruto cried as he was thrown through the trees away from Sasuke and Sakura.

"Shit! That was no genin-level attack," Naruto groaned as he got to his feet, battered, bruised and bleeding slightly. "There was no way in hell a genin could have produced such a strong attack. This is bad."

A loud hissing sound came from above Naruto. He looked up and saw a gigantic snake, coiled around a tree above him, looking down at him.

"Oh this is not good," Naruto muttered.

The snake flicked its tongue at Naruto and reared back. With blinding speed, it struck, nearly swallowing Naruto whole. While the snake missed with its first strike, it followed up with a tail sway that sent Naruto flying into a trunk at nearly 20mph. Naruto cried out as he felt at least two ribs crack from the blow.

"Damnit, I don't have time for this," he growled, gingerly getting to his feet. The snake looked down at Naruto, eyeing him up like a piece of meat, and Naruto didn't like it. "Damn snake, you're going down, you're not keeping me from my team," he growled. "Kage Bunshin!"

Twenty clones appeared around the snake's head. The snake seemed to blink, then smile at the appearance of so many more treats. It hissed almost happily and shot forward and in the blink of an eye, it managed to swallow two clones.

Naruto smirked and said two words.

"Bottoms up!"

The clones inside the snake exploded with the force of a dozen exploding tags, each. The snake's whole upped 'body' expanded like a balloon, and burst with a sickening splat.

"Nasty," Naruto commented as he surveyed the damage. Suddenly there was another explosion; this one of smoke and the shredded snake vanished.

"What the! That was just a summon?" Naruto said. "The only person who can use snake summons is…oh shit! I've got to find Sasuke and Sakura-chan."

Naruto leapt off into the forest, releasing his seals and pouring chakra into his legs to go faster.

About a kilometer away, Sakura and Sasuke were in a fight for their lives. The female Kusa nin, who had snuck up on Naruto and the crazy proctor before the exam, had found them and was toying with them.

"Ah yes, the marvelous Sharingan," the Kusa nin hissed, causing Sakura and Sasuke to shiver. "To have awakened the Sharingan so young, truly an accomplishment. However, wasn't it true that your brother, Itachi, had a fully mature Sharingan at your age, quite disappointing eh, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke roared in anger and charged at the ninja, who deftly dodged every blow easily, bending almost as if she had no spine.

"Such anger in those eyes Sasuke-kun, yes use that anger, it gives you power and strength," the woman said. "But will it be enough to kill your brother."

"Katon: Ryuujin Kaenhoushaki!" (Dragon god flamethrower.)

A stream of white-hot flames shot out of Sasuke's mouth. The Kusa nin's eyes widened as the flames engulfed her. Sasuke smirked, while Sakura breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ku, ku, ku, ku, well done Sasuke-kun, to be able to produce such intense flames and wield them so well at such a young age," a sinister voice hissed.

Sasuke and Sakura watched in horror as the Kusa nin walked serenely out of the flames, untouched except that half of the woman's face seemed to have been melted off.

"What are you?" Sakura whimpered.

"A good question little girl," the woman said. "And I shall answer it in due time, but first."

Sakura and Sasuke froze as they caught eyes with the woman, an eye that was a pale, sickly yellow with a silted pupil like a snake's. An immense pressure settled onto the two genin, neither could move nor even breathe. Images flashed in front of their eyes, scenes of death. Their deaths.

_'This is insane, I can't move. That time in the Wave with Zabuza was nothing compared to this,'_ Sasuke thought. _'We need to move I need to move. Come on body, Damnit MOVE!'_

"Well, well, well, looks like we've got a fighter," the Kusa nin said. "Good, it's no fun if the prey is weak."

Sasuke managed to force himself to stab himself in the thigh with a kunai and grab Sakura before a pair of kunai that had been thrown at them slid between their eyes.

Sasuke was breathing heavily as he laid Sakura down against a tree; she was still in shock at the KI that the ninja had levied at them.

"Sakura, Sakura, snap out of it," Sasuke said, roughly shaking Sakura alert.

Life came back to Sakura's eyes. She looked around wildly, her eyes still full of fear.

"Sasuke, what's going on? Where's that Kusa ninja? How'd we get away?" Sakura asked in rapid succession.

"Sakura, calm down. We got away, we're safe," Sasuke said.

"Oh, I'm not so sure about that?" a sickeningly familiar voice hissed from behind Sasuke.

The two genin spun around in horror as the Kusa ninja appeared out of the shadows, like a ghost.

"Who are you? Why are you coming after us?" Sakura cried.

"Who am I isn't important, but what is important is what I can give you Sasuke-kun," the woman said.

"What could you give me that I could possibly want?" Sasuke barked.

"Power," the ninja hissed. "Unlimited power, the power to kill your brother and avenge your clan."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke said.

The ninja smiled; a cruel, calculating smile.

"What the hell Sasuke!" a new voice roared from above them. It was Naruto.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried in relief.

"Where have you been dobe!" Sasuke cried.

"I was taking care of this guy's not-so-little friend," Naruto answered, glaring down at the Kusa nin with rage.

"Dobe, that's a woman you moron," Sasuke scoffed.

"That's no woman Sasuke, am I right Orochimaru?" Naruto growled. Sasuke and Sakura froze hearing Naruto say the name of one of Konoha's most notorious nuke-nins.

"Ku, ku, ku, ku, you truly are Konoha's most surprising ninja, aren't you, Naruto-kun?" the now named Orochimaru cackled.

"What the hell are you doing here, you hebi-teme?" Naruto growled.

"I'm here to give Sasuke-kun an offer; the offer of power to take his revenge on Itachi!"

Naruto looked sharply at Sasuke, who was looking at Orochimaru with veiled interest. "Sasuke, if you think that he'd give you power for free, you're as delusional as your brother was."

Sasuke glared at Naruto. "I don't care. I need power to kill my brother, and I will do whatever I need to do to achieve this."

Orochimaru smiled and his hands flew through some hand signs, his neck elongated and shot toward Sasuke, mouth open. Before either Naruto or Sakura could move, Orochimaru sank his fangs into Sasuke's neck, the boy screamed out in pain.

"What the hell did you do?" Naruto roared, as Orochimaru's neck returned to its normal length. Sasuke collapsed in a heap, unconscious.

"I gave Sasuke-kun a gift that will grant him unimaginable power, he will seek me out in order to gain more," Orochimaru said.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the man. "Then I'll give you a parting gift myself, you bastard," Naruto cried. He leapt off the branch and sped toward Orochimaru at speeds that Sakura couldn't follow. Orochimaru sneered at the blonde.

"You're years away from even thinking that you can harm me, boy," Orochimaru said.

A swirling blue ball of chakra appeared in Naruto's hand as he appeared in front of Orochimaru. The Snake Sannin's eyes widened as he saw the attack.

"Rasengan!" Naruto roared as he slammed the ball of chakra into Orochimaru's stomach. The ball expanded and with a scream, Orochimaru was sent spinning like a corkscrew into the forest.

"Sakura, we need to go," Naruto said, as he reappeared at her side. "We need to get to the Tower as soon as possible that attack didn't stop Orochimaru, something didn't feel right when I hit him."

"What was that jutsu Naruto? Where did you learn that?" Sakura asked.

"No time, we need to go NOW!" Naruto ordered, he threw Sasuke over his shoulder and turned to Sakura. "Come on Sakura, now! I'll explain everything when we get somewhere safe."

Sakura wanted to argue with Naruto but also knew that he was right. She nodded. "Fine but you have to answer me when we get to the tower."

"Deal."

The two conscious members of Team 7 leapt off, Sasuke thrown over Naruto's shoulder. They didn't see a pair of yellow eyes gleaming in the shadows. "Interesting, the Kyubi brat has some talent as well. To be able to master such a jutsu at such a young age, I'll have to keep an eye on him, though now with Sasuke-kun, it will not matter," Orochimaru hissed before sinking back into the shadows.

Naruto and Sakura, with Sasuke over Naruto's shoulder, made it to the Tower in short order. When they entered, they found an empty hall with a poem with two blanks in it.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Naruto asked.

"Maybe we should open those scrolls that we collected? The proctor didn't say we couldn't open them in the Tower, only in the forest," Sakura suggested.

"I don't have a better idea," Naruto said. He dropped Sasuke on the floor; Sakura glared at Naruto but pulled out the Heaven scroll that she had been carrying while Naruto retrieved the Earth Scroll from Sasuke's body.

"On three, one, two, three."

The two opened the scrolls; Naruto noticed something written on the inside. "Sakura, drop the scroll," he barked. She did and they leapt back. There was an explosion of smoke, Naruto and Sakura tensed, their hands gripping a kunai each.

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto cried out as the smoke cleared.

"Hello there, Naruto, Sakura…what happened to Sasuke?" Iruka asked sharply when he spotted Sasuke laying on the ground.

"He's just conscious Iruka-sensei," Naruto said. "But I need to speak with the Hokage as soon as possible."

"Naruto, you can't demand to speak with the Hokage like that," Iruka scolded.

"Sensei, I don't have time for this. Sasuke needs medical attention now and I have to speak with the Hokage NOW!" Naruto barked, his voice commanding.

Iruka stiffened. "Fine, I'll get him," he said before vanishing in a swirl of leaves.

"Naruto, what the HELL is going on!" Sakura cried.

"Later Sakura-chan, I promise once I talk with the Hokage, I will tell you everything," Naruto said.

Just when Sakura was about to argue, there was a loud puff and Iruka returned with the Hokage, Kakashi and a pair of medics.

"What happened?" the Hokage barked in what Naruto had dubbed his 'Hokage' tone. It commanded complete and absolute obedience.

"He's here," Naruto said shortly.

The Hokage's eyes widened. "You mean…"

"Yes sir, Orochimaru is here, we just got away from him after that hebi-teme gave Sasuke a nasty hickey. He's been unconscious ever since."

"So he's after the Sharingan then," the Hokage said.

"I'd be careful with Sasuke, Orochimaru offered him power and Sasuke seemed pretty interested. Hebi-tem also said that the hickey was a gift or something."

The Hokage's eyes narrowed. "I see. Kakashi, I want you to find Jiraiya, you should now where he is. Tell him I need him now, I won't take any delay."

"Hai Hokage-sama," Kakashi said before he vanished in a swirl of leaves. Hiruzen then turned back to Naruto and Sakura.

"You two, I'll need a full account of what happened out there. Come, there is a conference room upstairs that we can use," the Hokage said. Naruto and Sakura nodded, though Sakura looked absolutely terrified at the prospect of being in the same room as the Hokage.

"Hey jiji, has any other teams made it yet?" Naruto asked. Sakura looked at Naruto like he was insane for calling the Hokage that, the jonin that were walking with them nearly face faulted at the exchange.

"There is one team, the Suna team, that beat your team. They managed to complete the exam in under two hours," the Hokage said.

"What!" the two genin cried.

"Wow, they must have gotten lucky," Naruto said. "To have found a scroll so quickly."

"Yeah or they are really strong," Sakura said.

"That Gaara guy seems familiar somehow, I can't explain it but he gives me this weird feeling," Naruto said, looking at the Hokage, who nodded. _'So Gaara is like me, he's got a demon inside him too. I wonder which one?'_

_**"Judging from the circles under his eyes, and the fact that he's from Suna, it's plausible that that midget carries Shukaku, the One-tail," **_**a deep voice in Naruto's head.**

_"Kurama-san, that you?" Naruto asked._

_**"Of course it's me you baka, who else do you know that's a giant talking fox and is inside your head," **_**Kurama said.**

Naruto rolled his eyes and cut back to the outside world where the group had just reached the conference room. They were let inside and saw that the room wasn't empty. The proctor of the second exam was there as well, and she didn't look good.

"Hokage-sama, I don't wish to be rude but what's with the brats?" Anko asked, pointing at Naruto and Sakura, who glared at her.

"Relax Anko-chan, I have brought Naruto-kun and Sakura-chan here because they fought the same man that you did this afternoon," the Hokage said.

"These two gakis fought Orochimaru and lived!" Anko cried.

"Yeah and what of it?" Naruto snapped, his anger getting the better of him. "And why do you smell like snakes, it's faint but the smell is still there."

The Hokage, Anko and Sakura looked at Naruto in a mix of confusion, awe and a bit of fear.

"You can smell snakes on me?" Anko asked, her voice soft.

"Yeah, there are two different scents. One far older and darker, while the newer one isn't as much," Naruto said. "Why do you smell like that?"

"It's because I used to be Orochimaru's apprentice," Anko said. "Let me finish," she added quickly at the faces of the two genin. "Back when he was a jonin of the Leaf, he choose me to be his apprentice and taught me many things, I thought that he cared for me, but in the end, that bastard cast me aside like a piece of trash, all I was to him was an experiment and data."

"Oh ok," Naruto said. "Sorry for jumping down your throat like that, I guess the adrenaline hasn't left my system yet."

"It's fine but if you two fought Orochimaru, how are you alive?" Anko asked.

"Well, for starters, I didn't really fight him," Sakura admitted. "I was so scared, that I couldn't even move. Sasuke and Naruto saved me, well Naruto saved us both."

"Let's start at the beginning, shall we?" the Hokage said. Sakura and Naruto nodded and began their tale. How they were separated by a great gust of wind, Naruto told them how he killed the snake summon by blowing it up. When they asked how, he said he used an exploding tag, but Anko and Hiruzen could tell he was lying. Sakura picked up the tale from there. Her voice was quiet to begin with but it gained strength as she talked about how Team 7 was separated, then how Orochimaru attacked Sasuke and her. How the Sannin played with Sasuke's mind, playing on his anger at Itachi, Sakura mentioned how Sasuke managed to land a Katon jutsu on Orochimaru but the man seemed to just shrug it off like a fly.

"Then Naruto showed up," Sakura said. Hiruzen and Anko turned to the blonde. Naruto took a deep breath.

"I showed up just as Sasuke was getting drawn in by the Hebi-teme, and tried to snap him out of it but Sasuke only cares about power, and he said as much. Then Orochimaru did some weird jutsu that elongated his neck and then he gave Sasuke that hickey."

Anko's eyes widened. "That hickey is a curse seal, the Uchiha brat will be lucky if he survives it."

"You speaking from experience Mitarashi-san?" Naruto asked. Anko's hand shot to her shoulder. "Don't worry, I figured that you have one since jiji had you here as well."

"What happened after Orochimaru gave Sasuke-kun that seal?" the Hokage said.

"We escaped," Naruto said shortly. Hiruzen and Anko looked at Naruto, knowing that he wasn't telling the whole story.

"Naruto, what are you talking about?" Sakura cried. "Hokage-sama, Naruto is being modest. He beat Orochimaru in one shot."

"Sakura!" Naruto snapped.

"No Naruto," Sakura retorted. "It was amazing. Naruto nailed that bastard with some jutsu called Rasen…something, and it blew Orochimaru away."

The Hokage and Anko looked at Naruto in amazement.

"Naruto-kun, you learned that jutsu?" Hiruzen asked.

"Yes Hokage-sama, I finally mastered it," Naruto said. "And I did manage to hit Orochimaru with it but that wasn't really Orochimaru.

"What do you mean?" the Hokage asked.

"One, I got lucky. That bastard wasn't suspecting me to attack him head on, let alone with that jutsu, and second, when I hit him with it, it didn't feel right. It felt like I was hitting one of my shadow clones."

"It's possible," the Hokage said. "My wayward student always liked to hide in the shadows. It's likely that what you fought was only a clone."

Naruto nodded while Sakura looked frightened.

"Naruto, what was that jutsu that you used? I've never heard of it," Sakura asked.

"Really, I'm surprised that the brightest kunoichi didn't recognize such a revered jutsu, but that was the jutsu that I started learning in the Wave," Naruto said.

"Rasengan, right? It does sound familiar," Sakura said. "But I can't remember where I heard of it."

"Sakura-chan, I would appreciate it if you don't tell anyone about me using that jutsu," Naruto said. "I want to keep it a secret."

Sakura frowned but nodded. She could see the idea of keeping such a powerful jutsu secret. "All right Naruto, I promise."

"Thanks Sakura-chan," Naruto said brightly.

The Sandiame grinned. "All right you two, I'm sure that you are both exhausted. Upstairs there are rooms in which you can relax and recuperate. You will have to remain in the Tower until the Exam is over, but congratulations nonetheless. Also, I what you both to know that what we've discussed here today is considered an S-class secret, so…" the Hokage trailed off, as the consequences of the situation settled on the two genin.

"Hai Hokage-sama," they chorused.

"And thanks jiji," Naruto added.

"Baka, show the Hokage some respect," Sakura scolded. "Um, Hokage-sama, what about Sasuke?"

"I will be checking on him shortly, and don't worry, Kakashi-kun will inform you when we know more."

"Hai Hokage-sama," the pink-haired girl said.

The Hokage and Anko took their leave and the two genin made their way upstairs to their rooms, where both exhausted genin collapsed onto a bed each and fell asleep.

_"So there's another jinchuriki in the exams," Naruto said in his mindscape. "I wonder why?"_

_**"I don't care, but be wary of Shukaku's host, that rodent is bat-shit insane. He's likely eaten away at his host's personality over the years, making it impossible for the host to get a good night's sleep. The host is probably just as insane as the rodent inside him,"**_** Kurama said.**

_"I didn't know you cared Kurama-san," Naruto snarked._

_**"I don't," **_**the fox snapped. **_**"I just wouldn't be able to live down the grief if I were to lose to that stubby rodent. The other biju wouldn't let me live it down when they heard. I have a reputation to uphold."**_

_"All right, then what do you know about Shukaku?" Naruto asked._

_**"He's bloodthirsty and has a serious inferiority complex since he's the One-Tail and is the weakest of us all. And since he's the Sand spirit, his host can probably manipulate sand very well," **_**Kurama said. **

_"So avoid the sand at all costs," Naruto quipped. "Hopefully, I won't have to fight him until at least the finals, that way I can get some more intel on him."_

The final three days of the Second Exam passed slowly for Team 7, both Naruto and Sakura were waiting on word on Sasuke. Naruto's opinion of the Uchiha had dropped to an all-time low after hearing his declaration of power is the only thing he cares about in the Forest. Even Sakura seemed to have removed her Uchiha-colored glasses and seen that Sasuke wasn't the prince that the village made him out to be, though she still cared for him as a teammate. Naruto saw several teams stagger into the Tower over the final three days of the Exam, including Team 8 and 10 and the green spandex-wearing ninja's team. He also saw that Kabuto's team had made it as well, and a team from Oto, Mizu and the Iwa team that Team 7 had fought on the first day of the Exam. Naruto and Sakura stayed in their room, enjoying the grace period that they had achieved.

There came a knock at the door. "Uzumaki-san, Haruno-san, you are wanted down in the main hall for the preliminaries," a voice called through the door.

"Preliminaries?" Sakura asked.

"No idea, I'm sure that jiji will explain it all when we get down there," Naruto said.

"What about Sasuke? Do you think that he'll be there?"

"Don't know. If he's awake, I'm sure that they'd have to drag him away in chains to keep him away," Naruto said.

"You're probably right," she said.

"Say Sakura-chan, I understand if you don't want to answer this but I've noticed that you've stopped calling Sasuke, Sasuke-kun."

"Oh," Sakura said, a light blush adorning her cheeks. "Well, I guess it's because my eyes have been opened. Sure Sasuke is attractive and at the Academy, I thought that I loved him, but ever since I joined Team 7 I've seen a side of Sasuke that I didn't, or didn't want to, see at the Academy. He's cold, cruel and completely power hungry. I understand that he wants to avenge his clan but it seems that he'll go to any and all lengths to achieve this. Maybe we can help him?"

"To be able to help someone, they must want help," Naruto said. "I don't like Sasuke very much; he's arrogant, cold and an all-around bastard. But he's also a young man who has been through a lot, too much for someone his age, and has had no one to rely on."

"What about you then Naruto? From what you said in the Wave, you've had it harder than Sasuke but you're not…" Sakura said.

"A conceited bastard?" Naruto suggested.

"I was going to say normal, but your phrase works too," Sakura said. Naruto chuckled warmly.

"I've had people looking out for me, unlike Sasuke, and those people treated me normally, not like a crown prince of some soap opera. Having very few people in my life made me appreciate everything that I have now. Sasuke had the village hanging on his every whim, which made him believe that he deserved anything and everything."

Sakura nodded.

They reached the main hall where the other teams that made it through the Forest of Death.

"Looks like the teme woke up in time," Naruto said, spotting Sasuke in the group, Kakashi standing beside him. Naruto and Sakura walked over and stood next to their teammate and sensei.

"Hi Sasuke, how are you feeling?" Sakura asked. All she got in return was a grunt, which they took as an "I'm fine."

"Kakashi-sensei, what's with these preliminaries?" Naruto asked.

"Well, too many teams passed the Second Exam so we have to have preliminary tournament to lower the numbers," Kakashi explained.

"What?" Naruto cried. "We have to fight after going through all that forest and stuff!"

"Fraid so," Kakashi said.

Naruto and Sakura groaned.

"Deal with it losers, at least now I can show how strong the Uchiha elite are," Sasuke sneered.

Naruto growled at the Uchiha heir but before he could say anything, the Hokage stepped forward to explain the rules. He was interrupted by a sickly looking jonin, named Gekko Hayate.

After finishing his explanation, Hayate asked if there were any dropouts, and Yakushi Kabuto did so. Naruto narrowed his eyes at the silver haired genin as he walked out. He also noticed a Sound jonin watching Kabuto leave the hall as well.

"If that's everyone, please direct your attention to the screen, where two names will appear. Those two will remain here while the rest of you will proceed up to the viewing platforms."

A chime signaled that the board had chosen the first two combatants.

Uchiha Sasuke vs. Yoroi Akado.

**A/N: Hopefully you all liked this chapter. I know Naruto was able to beat Orochimaru pretty easily but I think I explained it in the chapter. Now that we're getting to the preliminaries, I'll need some help in coming up with the match ups, I know the Sasuke/Yoroi fight is canon, but that's just to get me started. Here are the teams that made it through:**

**Team 7, 8, 10 and Gai from Konoha**

**Kabuto's team**

**The Sound team**

**The Iwa team from Chapter 9**

**Gaara, Temari and Kankuro **

**Mizu team**

**I haven't come up with the names for the Mizu team, so if you have any suggestions please tell me. As always read and reviews, please.**

**Thanks, Phoenixflame**


	11. The Preliminaries have started

**Disclaimer: The _Naruto _universe isn't mine, any characters from said universe are the property of their creator. Just having some fun.**

Naruto followed Sakura up to the viewing platforms along with everyone else. When everyone was settled, Hayate asked if the two combatants were ready and then signaled the bout to begin.

"Let's see if the Uchiha brat is all talk or not, because you don't look like much," Akado sneered.

Sasuke snarled as he activated his Sharingan and rushed forward.

"Moron," Naruto muttered. "Charging in like that, he's going to get hurt. He doesn't know his opponents jutsu or abilities."

"This coming from you Naruto," Sakura said with a grin.

Naruto laughed. "Touché, I shouldn't be criticizing but that's me. Sasuke's smarter than that."

Sakura nodded and turned back to the fight where the two fighters were trading blows.

"This should be interesting, Sasuke's going up against a grappler," Kakashi commented.

"Grappler?" Naruto asked.

"It's a taijutsu style that the user performs to latch onto their opponent. It's a very close up style, and Sasuke likes to use his speed for hit and run tactics, he doesn't have the sheer strength to break out of a grappler's hold."

"There's something wrong with Sasuke," Sakura said. "He shouldn't be so tired so quickly."

Naruto looked down at the fight and frowned. Sakura was right; Sasuke was breathing heavily and sweating while his opponent looked stronger than ever.

"That hickey Hebi-teme have Sasuke can't be affecting him, right sensei?" Naruto asked.

"No, it's not that. Jiraiya-sama placed his highest-level containment seal on it. There's something about Sasuke's opponent, he doesn't punch or kick Sasuke when he grabs him," Kakashi answered.

"Could he be stealing Sasuke's chakra?" Sakura asked. "I remember reading that the Aburame clan has the ability to drain their opponents' chakra using their bugs."

"That's true, and it could be something similar since that genin's hands glow whenever he grabs Sasuke," Kakashi said.

"Well the teme better wise up and finish this soon or he's going to lose," Naruto said loudly.

Sasuke heard Naruto and growled. "Dobe, I'm an Uchiha, we don't lose," he muttered.

"Well you're about too," Akado said with a smug grin. He dashed forward, hands glowing blue.

_'I can't let him drain anymore of my chakra or I'm done for,'_ Sasuke thought. He leapt backward and flashed through several hand signs.

"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"

A mid-size fireball shot out of Sasuke's mouth and sped toward Akado. The older genin leapt away easily from the explosion.

"You're going to have to try harder than that baby Uchiha," Akado goaded.

With a primal scream of rage, Sasuke rocketed forward.

"Idiot, being goaded like that," Naruto muttered. "His opponent wants him to get up close. Sasuke isn't thinking at all."

Sakura nodded. "He should use his ninjutsu and wait this guy out," she said.

"Give Sasuke a little credit you two, he is the Rookie of the Year," Kakashi said.

"And that means what in the real world," Naruto said. "Just because he was the Rookie of the Year doesn't mean anything to anyone outside the village. Even most of the ninja around the village know that Sasuke isn't all that strong. Hell, a ninja who only uses taijutsu wiped the floor with the great Uchiha before the first exam."

_'That's it!'_ Sasuke realized. _'That spandex wearing freak should be honored that I'm using his jutsu to beat this weakling.'_

Naruto narrowed his eyes as he saw Sasuke take a familiar stance. _'He didn't,'_ Naruto thought. He glanced at Lee and Gai-sensei, the jonin looked grim.

A cry of pain brought Naruto back to the fight. Akado was flying through the air with Sasuke mirroring the older genin's movements. In a flurry of kicks, it was over. Akado was lying on the ground unmoving and blood trickling from his mouth.

"Winner Uchiha Sasuke," Gekko announced. A cry of "Sasuke-kun" came from Ino but not Sakura, to many people's astonishment. Even Ino was stunned at Sakura's non-outburst.

"He wouldn't have won that fight if he hadn't stolen that move from Lee," Naruto grumbled as he watched Sasuke walk up the stairs, acting as if he had accomplished something.

"Maybe but you can't be sure of that Naruto," Kakashi said.

"Whatever sensei, Sasuke's going to be feeling the strain of using that move come tomorrow. He's lucky that he didn't seriously injure himself," Naruto said. "Lee has trained his ass off to be able to master that move. And Sasuke steals it just so he can win."

"What did you say dobe?" Sasuke snarled from behind Naruto.

"You heard me teme, you got lucky," Naruto said. "You stole that move from Lee, who put his heart and soul into mastering it, and because you don't know the move, you were lucky enough to not sustain any injuries from using it, since your body isn't accustomed to it."

Sasuke just rolled his eyes. "Whatever dobe, I would have won no matter what. I'm an Uchiha and we don't lose," he scoffed.

Naruto just shook his head.

"Would Aburame Shino and Abumi Zaku please come down here?" Gekko called.

"Good luck Shino," Naruto called as the hooded Aburame walked down to the floor. Shino only responded with a nod.

"Damn, I was hoping to fight the Uchiha but you'll have to do," Zaku sneered.

"It would be unwise to underestimate your opponent," Shino answered.

"Whatever you weak Leaf freak," Zaku shouted. "I won't even break a sweat with you."

"Are the fighters ready?" Gekko asked. Getting two nods, he cried, "Hajime!"

The two genin leapt into action, Zaku stuck out his arms and cried, "Zankuha!"

Twin waves of air shot from Zaku's hands, cutting deep gouges in the floor as they sped toward Shino. At the last minute, Shino dispersed into a cloud of bugs, which scattered as the waves hit.

"Hijutsu: Konchuu Bunshin!" Shino said, his voice coming from behind Zaku. The Sound genin spun around but found no one there.

"Where are you?" Zaku cried.

"Here," Shino's voice filled the hall, coming from every direction. Zaku spun around, looking for Shino but couldn't find him.

"What the hell!" Zaku cried as he saw bugs crawling all over him. "What are these things?"

"They are my kikaichu, they have been draining you ever since the proctor said begin. I had them ready to go from when our names were drawn, a ninja must find any advantage he can."

The viewers saw Zaku begin breathing heavily as the chakra drain began to take its toll.

"You won't beat me that easily," Zaku cried as he charged up his jutsu.

"Too late," Shino said dispassionately as his bugs feasted on Zaku's chakra.

"Zankukyokuha…" Zaku managed to sputter out before falling flat on his face.

"Winner Aburame Shino," Gekko said as a team of medics took Zaku away. Shino made his way back up to the viewing platforms where his teammates, Kiba and Hinata, congratulated him.

The next three matches saw two members of the Mizu team face off against two Aniki and Katsumi from the Iwa team, and the Iwa crushed Mizu in both matches. The third match pitted Kankuro against the final member of Kabuto's team. Kankoru fooled the older Leaf genin into thinking that he had won by strangulation, but the body that the boy was holding was actually a puppet. The real Kankoru had been hiding in the bandages attached to the puppet's back waiting for a chance to turn the tides. The Suna genin's counter attack was short and viscous. Gekko had to call for a body bag instead of a stretcher. Once the floor was clear, the board beeped once more and Naruto heard Sakura gasp from beside him.

"Would Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino please come down here?" Gekko called out.

Naruto looked at his pink-haired teammate. "Relax Sakura-chan, you'll do fine," he said. "You're a lot stronger than her and now it's time for you to show her. Show Ino what it means to be a kunoichi of the Leaf."

Sakura gave Naruto a grateful smile. "Thank you Naruto," she said.

"Haruno Sakura, are you coming down?" Gekko called.

"Yeah forehead, or are you too scared that I'll show Sasuke-kun that I'm his true love," Ino chided.

Sakura's eye twitched. "You know what Ino-pig, you can have the bastard," she cried, leaping down from the platform. "Sasuke isn't worth dying over because I was too worried about my looks to train, or losing a friendship that I had with someone I thought of as a sister."

All around the room, jaws dropped at Sakura's proclamation. _'She's finally grown up,'_ Kakashi thought, smiling down at his student. Ino's jaw dropped the farthest though.

"Oh come on Forehead, do you really think that I'd fall for that," Ino scoffed. "You're just saying that to get inside my head. Well it won't work, I will not let you get Sasuke-kun."

Most of the audience face palmed at Ino's declaration. Sasuke shivered. _'I will never go for that girl, besides I need to kill my brother, that's all I care about. Why would I need anything else.'_

Naruto laughed. _'Oh Ino is going to get wrecked,'_ he thought.

Sakura just rolled her eyes and leapt down across from Ino.

"Now that both participants are ready, begin!" Gekko cried.

Ino quickly drew a kunai and raced forward. Sakura sighed and drew her own kunai. The two weapons came together with a clang. Ino, using her momentum began to push Sakura back.

"You know you can't win Forehead, once this is over everyone will know how weak you are and Sasuke-kun will come running," Ino said. "You had your chance to snag Sasuke-kun but you blew it."

"Are you done?" came Sakura's bored reply. Ino's eyes widened as she found herself unable to move forward. "You can try and play your little mind games all you want but they won't work. Like I said, I'm done chasing Sasuke, maybe if he takes that massive stick out of his ass and thaws himself out of that block of ice he calls his emotions, I'd try and go after him again. But right now, I don't care. I just want to concentrate on my training and prove that someone not from a ninja clan can become a great ninja."

Sakura pushed back, sending Ino stumbling backward. The pink haired looked at her former best friend with something akin to pity.

"You know Ino, I feel sorry for you," Sakura said. "You come from a large ninja clan that has these special techniques but all you care about is how you look and what not. I wasn't much better in the Academy, it wasn't until my mission to the Wave where I learned that a ninja's life isn't glamorous and flashy, there's no white prince that will come rescue you like a damsel in distress. From this day forth, I choose to be the best kunoichi that I can be."

With that she raised her kunai and slashed off most of her hair, leaving it only to reach her shoulders. Ino and everyone else except Naruto looked stunned. Where had the banshee fan-girl from the Academy gone, being replaced by this serious, confident kunoichi? Sakura tossed aside the remnants of her long hair and looked across at Ino.

"So shall we start round two?" she asked her blonde opponent.

"I won't lose to you Sakura," Ino said forcefully but everyone could hear the tremor in her voice.

"Then let's begin," Sakura said before dashing forward and slashing at Ino with her kunai. Ino made to block but the strike was too strong, and her kunai was sent clattering away. Sakura holstered her own weapon. "You know Naruto always said that getting your hands dirty was the best way to blow off steam, so let's settle this rivalry using just our fists. How does that sound Ino-pig?"

Ino glared at Sakura. "Don't you dare look down at me, or underestimate me!" the blonde girl cried before launching herself at Sakura.

Surprisingly, Ino was adequate at taijutsu and was able to land some blows on Sakura but none were strong enough to do any real damage and Ino knew this. While Sakura had been steadily improving her taijutsu with the help of Kakashi and Naruto in the two months or so that Team 7 had been together. Sakura knew that she would never be as strong as Naruto or Sasuke, physically, so she focused on precise, speedy hits aimed at points on the body where it would hurt the most; namely the kidneys, neck and joints. She was particularly proficient at it but two months of near constant work had allowed Sakura to progress nicely.

And Ino learned this the hard way as she leapt back from their latest exchange of blows; wheezing and wincing heavily as pain throbbed in her sides and arms.

"You won't beat me Forehead," Ino cried. She made several hand signs and called out, "Shintenshin no Jutsu!"

A bright flash of light filled the room.

"It's over," Shikamaru said. "Sakura might have Ino beat physically but now that Ino has used that jutsu, Sakura won't be able to break out of it."

"We'll see Shika, don't underestimate Sakura-chan," Naruto said.

Inside Sakura's head, Ino found herself stunned, she thought that using her family's jutsu would mean an easy win. No one could fight off this jutsu.

**"What the HELL are you trying to do Ino-pig?" a voice boomed out.**

_"What the!" Ino cried, looking around wildly. But all she saw was darkness; her father had told her that inside the human mind was like an immense passageway filled with doors. "What's going on here, I should be in total control!"_

**"Ha!" the voice scoffed. "You're too weak to try and control my mind, maybe if you'd train, you could give me some problems but someone with a strong enough will and chakra can overpower your jutsu."**

_Ino's eyes widened as she felt her chakra seep away._

**"Now get out of my head!" the voice roared. Ino vanished in a flash of light, and out of the darkness came Inner Sakura. "Now then, aren't you glad I'm here," she said out loud.**

Ino was thrown back to her body; everybody was stunned as both girls' bodies shuddered.

"What the HELL are you!" Ino asked, looking at Sakura.

"I'm complicated," Sakura said, breathing heavily. Expelling Ino had taken a lot out of Sakura but Ino looked just as worn out. "Enough of this, last exchange, we're both worn out."

"Fine!" Ino growled.

Both dashed forward and…

THAWCK!

The spectators watched as Ino and Sakura's fists caught the other's cheek and snapped their heads back, sending them both skidding several feet backward. The two girls looked at one another for a moment, then Ino's eyes rolled up into her head and she collapsed.

"Winner Haruno Sakura," Gekko said. Just then Sakura fell to her butt in exhaustion.

"All right Sakura-chan, way to go," Naruto shouted from the balcony. Sakura snorted in amusement at the antics of her teammate but was gracious for the acknowledgment.

Once the medics had cleared the arena, taking Ino to the infirmary and giving Sakura a soldier pill to help her recover some chakra, Gekko called the next two fighters down. It was Tenten and Temari.

"Well done Sakura-chan," Naruto said while Tenten and Temari got set. "But how come you didn't use any jutsu, you would have won a lot sooner and easier."

"I couldn't use any Suiton jutsu because I don't have water to draw upon and I'm not strong enough to change the stone floor into earth to use," she replied.

"Oh," came Naruto's intelligent reply.

"And I felt that I could beat Ino without them," Sakura said. Naruto nodded and they turned back to the match, which was another rout as Temari used several strong Futon jutsus to knock aside Tenten's weapons and send the Konoha genin flying across the room.

"Pathetic," Temari sneered after being declared the winner.

"Tough break for Tenten, having to face a wind user in her match," Naruto commented. "She needs to broaden her skills, not focus on just using weapons at long-range."

"Indeed," Gai said. "I believe that this will Tenten-san that she still needs to improve."

The board beeped once more. "Say Shikamaru looks like you're up," Naruto said, slapping the lazy Nara on the shoulder. "Looks like you're up against that girl from the Sound."

"I have to fight a girl, troublesome," Shikamaru muttered.

"Shikamaru, be careful. There's something about these Sound ninja that puts me off," Naruto whispered. The dark haired boy nodded.

The match was pretty boring, atypical for Shikamaru. There was a lot of bantering, mainly by the girl, while she threw senbon at Shikamaru, who dodged easily. In the end, the dark haired boy won by tricking the girl into playing chicken with some shuriken and then using his family's shadow jutsu to knock the girl out. Naruto laughed as Shikamaru stumbled up the stairs, as if asleep on his feet, for all Naruto knew. Shikamaru had managed to achieve that state of laziness.

The next match was between Inuzuka Kiba and Akimichi Choji, the heirs to two of Konoha's top taijutsu-using clans beside the Hyuga.

"This should be an interesting match, Kiba has the edge in speed but Choji is probably the strongest, physically, genin of our graduating class," Naruto said.

Kiba pressed the attack as soon as Gekko called go. He dropped into his family's taijutsu stance and dashed forward on all fours. Choji made some hand signs and his arms expanded suddenly. Choji raised his arms and brought them down like twin hammers but Kiba was too quick. He spun around the attack and kicked Choji in the chest. The stout brown haired boy stumbled backward and winced.

Kiba leapt back at Choji and slashed the Akimichi boy across the back with his claws. Choji cried out and spun around. His expanded arms caught Kiba a glancing blow that sent the feral boy flying backward. Getting gingerly to his feet, Kiba called for Akamaru to help him. The puppy suddenly transformed into a clone of Kiba and the pair leapt at the slower Choji, spinning rapidly like a drill.

Choji tried to dodge was too slow and the twin drills of Kiba and Akamaru crashed into him. However, Kiba miscalculated and while the attack was devastating, Choji managed to somehow wrap his arms around Kiba and position the feral boy between him and the wall.

CRASH!

The pair slammed into the wall with a sickening thud and the pair fell to the floor unmoving, and Akamaru was whimpering alongside his master.

"Since neither fighter are able to continue, this match is a draw and neither Kiba nor Choji move on," Gekko said. The medics quickly took the pair away, neither boy had any serious injuries but they were in need of some first aid.

The board beeped again.

"Would Hyuga Neji and Kenshin of Iwa come down please?" Gekko asked. Naruto watched as the two fighters walked down to the stage. Kenshin was muttering something and wasn't paying attention.

"Kenshin, are you ready?" Gekko asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm ready," Kenshin said. "Just wish I was fighting the Yondaime look-alike, I owe him one. Instead I'm fighting some white-eyed pretty boy."

Neji snarled but that went mainly unnoticed as several people looked around for whoever the Iwa ninja had said that looked like the Yondaime.

"Well it was your fate to face me Iwa scum, just as it is your fate that you will lose to me," Neji sneered arrogantly.

"Whatever you say pretty boy, but we'll see who has the last laugh," Kenshin snapped.

"Begin!"

Neji surged forward in an attempt to engage Kenshin but the Iwa ninja wisely leapt backward out of range. Kenshin threw several kunai at Neji, causing the Hyuga to veer off his charge.

"Ishi Yoroi!" Kenshin cried. Several floor panels came loose and became plates of armor that covered Kenshin's arms and chest.

"It doesn't matter what you do, your fate is to lose this match," Neji said. He leapt forward once more and this time Kenshin stayed his ground and the two genin traded blows. Neji seemed to dance around Kenshin's heavy blows but was only able to land light, insignificant hits to Kenshin's arms and chest, doing little if any damage to the Ishi Yoroi.

"Neji is going to have to come up with something stronger if he wants to beat that armor," Naruto commented as he watched Neji duck a crushing blow from Kenshin.

"It sounds like you know this genin," Kakashi said. "Care to share?"

"We met in the Forest, his team came after us just because of me," Naruto said. "He's a Doton user who's really strong and faster than he looks, even with that armor on. I had to release half my seals to beat the guy. He's strong."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, well he might have, and it was hard to tell behind his mask and forehead protector. "Well Neji seems to be doing quite well," he said.

Naruto turned back to the fight and saw that chips of Kenshin's armor had fallen off and cracks were beginning to show.

"How?" Sakura asked.

"The Hyuga clan practices a special taijutsu style that allows them to emit chakra from their hands to bolster their blows," Rock Lee said. "The Hyugas use their kekkai genkai, the Byakugan, to see the chakra points on a person's body, and if precise enough, a practitioner of the Gentle Fist can shut off a person's chakra points, and seal a person's chakra."

Naruto and Sakura looked at Lee in astonishment.

"I lied before, I am not the strongest genin in Konoha," Lee said. "That honor goes to Neji. I have never been able to beat him, he is a genius of the Hyuga clan."

Naruto and Sakura looked stunned at Lee's analysis. "So Neji is that strong," Naruto commented. "Still Kenshin won't give up that easily, he'll fight until he collapses or worse."

The group turned back to the fight where while Neji's attacks were starting to do some noticeable damage, Kenshin had managed to land a couple of blows which were much stronger. Neji's lip was bleeding slightly from a glancing blow that Kenshin had landed.

"Neji needs to finish this soon, he can't take many more of those type of hits," Sakura said.

Neji seemed to hear this as he scowled and settled into an unfamiliar stance; his left leg was extended out in front of him, his upper body bent over his leg and arms outstretched with their palms facing upward.

"What is that?" Naruto asked.

"It's the stance of the Gentle Fist, Neji-san is going to finish this," Gai said.

Neji sneered at Kenshin. "It's over, you are in range of my divination."

Neji surged forward, blurring almost out of sight. He reached Kenshin before the Iwa genin could react. "Hakke Rokujuyon Sho!"

Naruto watched as Neji's hands blurred through his attack. He could barely see the individual attacks, Kenshin groaned as his armor crumbled and he fell to his knees.

"I've blocked all of your chakra points, you can't use any chakra," Neji said. "I suggest you give up."

_'I had to use a lot more chakra in that attack than I wanted too, that armor protected him somewhat but I was destined to win this fight,' _Neji thought as he watched Kenshin struggle to move.

"It's pointless to resist, you're lucky to still be breathing after that attack," Neji sneered.

_'This match is over,'_ Gekko thought. He stepped forward. "Due to his opponent being unable to continue, Hyuga Neji is the winner."

Naruto watched as a medical team took Kenshin away. _'If Neji was able to beat Kenshin that easily, how strong is he? How strong am I?'_ he thought.

"Naruto…Naruto!" Sakura said sharply, whacking the blonde upside the head.

"What the hell Sakura-chan! What was that for?" Naruto cried.

"It's your turn baka," she answered.

"Yatta! Who am I fighting?" he asked.

"Look."

Naruto turned to the board and paled.

**A/N: Here's the latest chapter of _Underneath the Underneath,_ hope you enjoyed it. I finally activated the dreaded Cliffhanger Jutsu. Hopefully my fight scenes are ok, they're something I'm actively trying to improve on, so if you have any suggestions on how to make them better, send them to me. Also I always found it interesting that we never saw any elemental jutsu beside Temari, during the Anime episodes of these fights, so I decided to add in Sakura's explanation for it. I'm working the next chapter of _Rebirth of the Whirlpool,_ so hopefully it will be up by mid-week. So please read and review,**

**Phoenixflame**


	12. A Catalyst for change

**Disclaimer: _Naruto _isn't mine, none of the characters are, only some Jutsu that I've come up with. No money is being made doing this, just having some fun.**

The board showed two names; glowing yellow against the black background.

Uzumaki Naruto vs. Hyuga Hinata.

"I have to fight Hinata/Naruto-kun," the pair said at the same time.

"Yahoo Hinata, you got so lucky getting to face the dobe," Kiba laughed. Naruto glared at the feral boy, who had returned from the infirmary after looking at his injuries. "This will be a breeze."

"Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuga Hinata, will you please come down here?" Gekko called.

The pair leapt down to the floor and stood apart.

"Well, well, well, the worthless heiress and the dead last," Neji called down from the viewing platform. "This fight isn't going to be worth watching, just declare it a draw. Fate has decreed that these two weaklings will…"

"Will you shut up!" Naruto shouted form the floor. "Stop whining about fate and all that shit. And Hinata isn't worthless, she's stronger than you think."

"Why you insolent brat! You know nothing," Neji growled. "And if you think that Hinata is strong, than you are more of an idiot than I thought."

Naruto glared at the older Hyuga. He turned back to Hinata, who was looking down at floor. "Come on Hinata, don't listen to that teme," Naruto said. "Just because you don't like to fight doesn't mean you're weak, it takes more strength not to fight than it does to fight."

Hinata looked up at Naruto. "But Naruto-kun, I don't want to fight you," she said softly.

"I don't want to fight you either Hinata but there are times when you have to do things you don't want too do in order to help your friends," Naruto said. "And you need to learn to get over this confidence issue of yours. You are a lot stronger than you realize, you just have to believe in yourself."

"But Naruto-kun…"

"No buts Hinata, we will have this fight so you can show everyone how strong you are," Naruto interrupted her.

"That weakling will never be strong, fate has decreed…"

"Will you shut up!" Naruto roared. "Hinata and I are trying to have a conversation and you're interrupting, didn't your parents teach you any manners?"

Neji's brow twitched and his Byakugan activated.

"Don't you dare speak of my parents you bastard, didn't your parents tell you to respect your betters."

Harsh laughter billowed out of Naruto at this. "I wouldn't know, I never met my parents, they died within hours of my birth. And besides, what makes you think you're my better," Naruto said.

Silence hemmed Neji in as everyone looked down at Naruto. The Sandiame, Kakashi and Sakura looked down at their feet, while the other spectators were looking down at Naruto with varying looks.

"Come on Hinata, it's time to start this fight," Naruto said. "It's time to show the world how strong you are."

"Naruto-kun, I'm not strong like you," Hinata whispered. "Everyone knows it."

"Stop talking like that Hinata," Naruto snapped. "Who cares what everyone else thinks, the only people whose opinions should matter are yourself and those you wish for. Hell, if I were what everyone thought of me as, the village probably wouldn't be standing. It would be rubble and ash."

Shocked silence met Naruto's statement. The Hokage and the older Leaf jonin knew what Naruto was speaking of and honestly they couldn't fault him for it. The foreigners and the assembled genin looked both confused and a bit miffed that Naruto would make such a statement.

"Naruto, what the hell are you talking about?" Ino cried. "Like hell you have enough power to beat Hinata, let alone destroy the village. Why the hell would you want too anyway?"

"Trust me Ino, if you have lived my life growing up, you wouldn't be so quick to judge me," Naruto said.

"Come on baka, you didn't have a rough life," Kiba said. "You were always smiling, laughing and all that. What makes you think you had it rough?"

Team 7 looked at the feral boy in disgust, Sasuke was glaring at Kiba, his Sharingan blazing, while Sakura looked furious. Kakashi also looked angry with Kiba.

"Kiba, don't talk of things you don't understand," Naruto cried.

"Why you!" Kiba growled.

"Enough Kiba," Kurenai barked.

Naruto turned to Hinata. "Hinata, it's time. Let's do this," he said, settling into his taijutsu stance.

"Nar…Naruto-kun, please don't do this," Hinata stammered.

"Hinata, I'm sorry but this is for your own good. I know you don't like hurting people, but you have to get over it."

"But…"

"Stop being selfish!" Naruto roared. Hinata flinched as if being struck. "Do you think that an enemy will take it easy on you and not fight just because you said you didn't want to fight? Hell no, they won't care what you'd say. What would happen if the enemy was after your sister, or someone you cared about, what would you do then?"

"I'd protect my sister," Hinata said.

"That's right, because you want to protect her but if you don't start believing in yourself, you'll never become strong enough to do that," Naruto said. "In order to become truly strong, you need to fight for something precious to you. You'd want to protect your sister, your clan, then do so and fight me. Prove to me that you're strong enough to protect those precious to you."

Hinata looked at Naruto and something changed in her eyes. They became calmer, more sure of herself.

"There you go Hinata and show me what you've got," Naruto said before he raced forward. Hinata's Byakugan activated on instinct as Naruto reached her, she slapped aside a punch and made to strike back but Naruto leapt away.

_'This is going to be hard, I can't let her get a chance to mess with my chakra but I also can't go easy on her,'_ Naruto thought as he dodged a couple of blows. _'She needs this as much as I do.'_

"That's it Hinata, show me how strong you are," Naruto said as he ducked under a blow and went to deliver a shot to Hinata's side when she danced around it and hit Naruto in the arm.

Everyone froze, even Hinata. And that cost her.

"Don't stop Hinata, don't ever stop moving forward and never let your enemy get a chance to regroup," Naruto said as he landed a spin kick to Hinata's chest. She was able to partially deflect it but the force of the blow still sent her stumbling back a couple of feet.

The spectators watched in amazement as Naruto and Hinata traded blows. No one had seen this side of Hinata, she seemed confident and focused; her eyes were different than what anyone had seen.

_'Hinata, is this who you really are?'_ Kurenai thought. _'Thank you Naruto.'_

_'All right Hinata, let's see how good your eyes are,'_ Naruto thought as he lowered his gravity seal by two steps. "Catch me if you can Hinata," he laughed as he sped off.

Hinata's eyes widened as she struggled to keep up with Naruto's increased speed. She ducked a punch and shot her hand out and caught Naruto's side. Naruto winced as he felt Hinata's chakra 'punch' him. He knew that he couldn't take a lot of those types of hits. The Gentle Fist was the epitome of close combat taijutsu style.

Naruto leapt back and flew through some hand signs. "Futon: Renkudan!" he cried. Naruto spat a ball of compressed chakra at Hinata.

Hinata leapt out of the way of the attack and bit her lip. She knew that at close range, the Gentle Fist had the advantage but she had no range attacks.

"Come on Hinata, I know this isn't all you've got," Naruto mocked. A hidden frown twisted his lips as he mocked his friend. _'Hinata, I don't want to do this but if you don't stop holding back in fear of hurting me, you'll never be strong enough to protect someone precious to you,'_ he thought.

Hinata raced forward. _'There you go Hinata, don't be afraid to let go and let your instincts take over,'_ Naruto thought as he dodged a strike aimed at his chest. Naruto retaliated with a punch that caught Hinata in the shoulder. Hinata went with the blow and used its momentum to spin away from Naruto.

"Futon: Shippuu Dageki!" Naruto shouted as he charged forward and punched Hinata in the stomach.

Hinata's eyes widened as the wind chakra aided strike impacted her stomach. As Naruto leapt back, Hinata bent over and clutched her stomach.

"You can't take your eyes off your opponent, Hinata," Narutos' voice came from above Hinata. "Senpuu Handou!" (Whirlwind Kick.)

In a blur of blue and orange, Naruto appeared above Hinata and delivered a devastating spin kick to Hinata's side. The girl was able to get an arm up to partially block some of the force but it still felt like getting hit by a sledgehammer. Hinata got to her feet gingerly, her left arm numb.

"Come on Hinata, that can't be it," Naruto said. "I know you're stronger than this. Show me how strong you are. Or are Neji's words true, that you are weak? Because I know there's a whole hell of a lot more than you can give."

Naruto grinned as Hinata flinched when she heard his verbal jab and looked up at him with hurt eyes.

"Hinata, you are strong, stop hiding behind this meek façade," Naruto said. "Show everyone the real you, stop acting this way. You want to protect your family, then stop doubting yourself!"

Hinata's Byakugan reactivated as her face settled into a stony mask.

"That's it Hinata, come at me with everything you've got, prove to me that you're different than what everyone says," Naruto said as he settled into his 'Current of the Whirlpool' stance.

Hinata surged forward, her palms glowing. Naruto ducked under a palm strike and delivered another Shippuu Dageki to Hinata's stomach, which caused Hinata to spit up some blood. But she managed to hit Naruto several times in the stomach as well.

"There you go Hinata," Naruto grunted. Those strikes, while they looked like nothing, felt like Kakashi had punched him. "No more holding back."

Naruto blocked a punch and landed of his own that caused Hinata to double over.

"It's over Hinata," Naruto said. "Uzumaki Dageki!" he cried bring his knee up and catching Hinata under her chin that snapped her head back. He followed that up with a double fisted punch to her chest that sent Hinata flying backward. Naruto blurred behind her and cried, "Senpuu Handou!"

Naruto's spin kick caught Hinata in the side and sent her crashing to the floor. Naruto flinched as Hinata's body settled on the floor.

_'I'm sorry Hinata but I had to get you to fight,'_ Naruto thought.

Gekko stepped forward. "With his opponent unable…"

"No!" a soft cry came from Hinata on the floor. Naruto turned and saw that she was slowly getting to her feet, even with blood trickling from her mouth. "I'm not done yet, I still have to prove, Naruto-kun, that I am strong. I won't give up."

Naruto smiled at Hinata. "If you're sure?" he said getting back into his stance. Gekko looked like he wanted to end the fight but subsided. Hinata looked at Naruto, her eyes sharp and focused.

"Naruto-kun, thank you," Hinata said. "Thank you for believing in me and showing me that I am strong and I am what I wish to be."

"I'm happy I was able to help Hinata, it's what friends are for," Naruto said. "Now I believe we have a match to finish."

"Hai, we do."

The two fighters raced forward once more and began exchanging blows. Hinata's attacks, while slightly slower because of her injuries and exhaustion, were sharper and more accurate, forcing Naruto to duck and weave around them.

_'I need to finish this quickly or I might lose,'_ Naruto thought. _'I'm glad I was able to help Hinata get over her confidence issues and self-esteem but if I'm not careful, she might actually hurt me.'_

Just then Hinata stumbled as exhaustion and fatigue finally set in. Naruto rushed forward and cried, "Uzumaki Genkotsu!" before planting his fist once more in Hinata's stomach. Hinata's eyes widened as her breath left her in one gasp. She tried to regain her breath but her body wouldn't cooperate. She crashed to the floor with a muted thud and darkness claimed the Hyuga heiress.

"Winner Uzumaki Naruto," Gekko said before signaling for the medical team.

"How is she?" Naruto asked after the medical team had lifted Hinata onto a stretcher.

"A couple of cracked ribs, some bruising and a mile concussion," the lead medic said. "She'll need to rest for a week or so but she'll make a full recovery."

"Thank you," Naruto said with a bow to the medic. He then made his way up to the viewing platforms where the other genins looked at him with a multitude of reactions.

"It seems that you were fated to defeat that worthless waste of space," Neji sneered. "You were lucky not to face a real Hyuga or you would have lost."

"I thought I just beat a real Hyuga," Naruto said. "Hinata is much stronger than you think Neji and I must have misspoke earlier. I beat a human being, not a puppet that has a giant stick up its ass crying for a little pity party."

Neji's eyes widened in shock, _'How dare this…this commoner speak to me in such a way,'_ he thought. "You better pray to Kami that we don't fight in the Finals, because I will kill you," Neji snarled.

Naruto just looked at the enraged Hyuga and said, "Better men than you have tried and failed. Your tough guy act doesn't scare me, so get over yourself."

"Enough Naruto," Kakashi said sternly, though he privately agreed with his student.

"Why isn't Naruto scared that Neji said he would kill him if they fight in the finals?" Ino asked. She had recovered from her injuries and had returned to the indoor arena.

"And why did he say that others had tried to kill him, I mean sure Naruto is annoying, but he is exaggerating about people trying to kill him, right?" Kiba asked.

Naruto looked away and walked over to the bench and sat down. Sakura and Kakashi noticed this and gave him space. Sasuke snorted.

"Please, the dobe is just playing the fool," Sasuke sneered. "He thinks he's had a hard life, please."

"Sasuke, that's enough," Kakashi growled.

"Yeah Sasuke, stop being such a brat," Sakura snapped.

Sasuke snarled. "Don't speak to me like that weakling," the boy growled. "You know nothing of what I have had to endure."

"No she hasn't," Naruto's voice growled from behind Sasuke. "But that doesn't give you the fight to speak to Sakura-chan like that."

Sasuke spun around, his Sharingan spinning. "Don't you dare talk down to me like that dobe, you're nothing but trash, a clanless dobe who will amount to nothing," Sasuke growled at Naruto, disdain dripping from his voice.

Naruto just glared at Sasuke. "We'll see Sasuke. Make it through the Finals, and when we fight, we'll see who's stronger."

"Oh come on Naruto, don't be stupid," Ino scolded. "There's no way you could ever beat Sasuke."

Naruto just gave her a foxy grin. "We'll just have to wait and see."

The board beeped and everyone glanced up at the board.

"Would Dosu and Ichigo of Mizu please come down here?" Gekko called.

The bandaged Oto ninja leapt down from the platforms. A red spiky haired boy joined him.

"Man, these Mist ninja are pathetic compared to Haku and Zabuza," Naruto said as the Leaf ninja watched the Oto nin dominate the Mizu nin. It was an interesting match, since Dosu never seemed to land a blow on the other shinobi.

_'What's his trick?'_ Naruto thought.

"Yosh! It's finally my turn," Rock Lee cried from alongside the rookie genin, as the final two names appeared on the board.

Rock Lee vs. Gaara of the Sand.

Naruto watched as Lee leapt down from the platforms, Gaara appearing fifteen feet away in a swirl of sand. Gaara was staring at Lee, almost like a piece of meat. The redhead's mouth was twisted in an evil, bloodthirsty smile.

"I don't like this, that Gaara kid, he's not normal," Naruto said.

Kakashi looked at Naruto sharply, while the other genin looked at him strangely.

"What are you talking about Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"I don't know myself for sure, but there's something off about him," Naruto said. "I don't know if Lee can win this fight." Tenten glared at the blonde. "I'm not saying that Lee isn't strong, but Gaara is on a whole different level."

"My student isn't one to back down from a fight, and his will is strong," Gai said.

"I understand Gai-sensei and I'm not doubting that Lee isn't strong, he's probably stronger than me but I don't think it will be enough against Gaara," Naruto said.

"Are the two fighters ready?" Gekko asked.

"Yosh! Let us have a good fight," Lee said loudly, giving Gaara a thumbs up. The Sand nin didn't react.

"Begin!" Gekko cried, leaping back.

Naruto and the other genin watched in amazement and awe, then shock, then awe again as the bout between Gaara and Lee went back and forth. Naruto was stunned at the speed Lee possessed without his weights on; Lee was faster than he was without his seals on. Naruto was also terrified at the display of power from Gaara. Any other person would have been beaten to a bloody pulp by Lee's attacks but Gaara was able to mostly shrug them off, at least until Lee open the Celestial Gates. However that proved to be a double-edged sword as after using the Gates to gain a small advantage, the strain proved too much and Gaara's sand was able to capture Lee. Naruto and the other Leaf genin watched in horror as Gaara seemingly effortless used his sand to crush Lee's left arm and leg. The older genin was only saved by the timely action of Gai who leapt into the fray as Gaara made to finish Lee, permanently. The medical team carried Lee off, and Naruto bowed his head in respect to his fallen comrade. Lee had shown them what a truly splendid ninja he was, and Naruto vowed to show the world the same in Lee's absence.

"Now that the preliminaries have been completed, we will draw slots for the final examination," the Hokage announced.

"What?" Naruto cried. "We've got to fight again, now!"

"No, no Naruto, the final competition will be held in one month's time," the Hokage said. "This will give you all time to recover from your injuries, as well as train to get stronger. Also it will give our VIPs time to arrive, as the Chunin Exams are very important to the villages that participate, as they are able to impress clients who will bring more missions to the villages. Now then, you will each select a number at random form this box."

Anko stepped forward and each genin withdrew a slip of paper.

"If you would please give the number you have chosen, starting with you Naruto?" the Hokage asked.

"One," Naruto said.

"Six," said Sakura, holding up her slip.

"Seven," Kankuro said with a grin.

"Three," Sasuke said.

"Ten," said Aniki.

"Twelve," Katsumi whispered.

"Eight," Shino said in his monotone.

"Four," Gaara said.

"Five," Temari stated.

"Two," Neji said, glaring over at Naruto, who met the Hyuga's gaze evenly.

"I have nine," said Dosu.

"Which means I have eleven," muttered Shikamaru.

"So the pairings are set, please take a good look at who you will be facing in the first round," Anko said, holding up a piece of paper.

Match one: Uzumaki Naruto vs. Hyuga Neji

Match two: Uchiha Sasuke vs. Sabaku no Gaara

Match three: Sabaku no Temari vs. Haruno Sakura

Match four: Sabaku no Kankuro vs. Aburame Shino

Match five: Dosu vs. Aniki

Match six: Nara Shikamaru vs. Katsumi

"There you have it, now I wish you all good luck in the upcoming competition," the Hokage said. "Train hard and make your villages proud."

"Wait, if this is a tournament then does only one of us become a chunin?" Kankuro asked.

"No, you don't have to win the competition to be promoted," the Hokage said. "In fact, you could lose your first match and still be promoted. The chunin selections are based on your skill, rather than if you win or lose. Though the more times you defeat your opponent, the more opportunities you get to show the judges your strengths."

"So, you're saying that all of us, or even none of us could be promoted?" Shikamaru asked. The Hokage nodded. "What a drag." he muttered.

"Now then, you will all be escorted from the tower and free to do as you wish for the next month," the Hokage said.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei, when are we meeting for training tomorrow?" Naruto asked, when they reached the village. "I need to get stronger if I want to beat that stuck up Hyuga-teme."

Kakashi looked down at his blonde student. "Naruto, I can't train you, I need to be focusing on Sasuke. He's facing Gaara, he's going to need all the help he can get."

Naruto's face darkened. "Of course, the teme gets special treatment."

"Naruto, if Sasuke were to face Gaara now, he'd most likely be killed," Kakashi said. "Now's not the time to be selfish, think about your teammate."

"Oh right, of course I'm being selfish by asking my _jonin-sensei_ to help train me," Naruto growled.

Kakashi frowned. "I know it isn't fair Naruto but I have my orders," he said, though Naruto could hear the undercurrent of disgust in his sensei's voice. "Ask Hokage-sama, he might know someone who could train you."

"Ok Kakashi-sensei, what about Sakura-chan though, she made it to the finals as well?" Naruto asked.

"I have some ideas on who she needs to ask to help her train," Kakashi said. "I can give you some more jutsu scrolls, but she needs to learn more genjutsu, and I'm not the right person for the job."

"Oh, ok, then I'll guess I see you around sensei," Naruto said before vanishing in a swirl of wind.

Naruto reappeared outside his old apartment, while he had moved into his parents' house, sometimes he would still come back here almost unconsciously. And today was one of the days that he wish he hadn't. Across the door, in red paint were the words **Die Demon Die**. _'At least people still think I live here, its keeping them from looking for me,'_ Naruto thought before making a ram hand sign, releasing the seal protecting his door. Naruto had gone to the Hokage when he first entered the Academy, asking for a way to protect his apartment from the villagers trying to break in and wreck it or worse. The Hokage gave him a book on the art of Fuinjutsu. And Naruto took to it like a fish in water. It didn't hurt that the Yondaime Hokage had been a master of fuinjutsu and the Yondaime was Naruto's hero, his respect for the man had gone up even after finding out that the Yondaime had been the one to seal the fox in him. Naruto started taking down the seals that he had put up around the apartment, it was time to leave everything behind. By nightfall, Naruto had stripped the place of all it's seals except for the locking seal on the door and windows, he didn't want anyone breaking in and trying to torch the place, again.

The next morning found Naruto making his way to the Hokage Tower. He ignored the secretary, who hated him anyway, and shoved the door open.

"Hey old man, I need a couple of favors," Naruto said.

"Ah Naruto-kun, what brings you here?" the Sandaime Hokage asked. "I thought that you would be training already."

"That's part of the reason I'm here jiji, I need a sensei. Kakashi has to train the teme because of the damn Council, and he left me high and dry."

"I see. I might have someone who can help you out," the Hokage said. "He should be by the bathhouses. Look for an older man, with long, spiky white hair and red lines on his face."

"Will do, well then I better get going, I'm burning daylight," Naruto said. "Ja ne jiji," Naruto said before vanishing out the window.

He reappeared at the Konoha bathhouses a moment later and began looking around for the man that the Hokage had said would help him train. It wasn't long until he came upon a taller man, sitting on top of a giant toad peeking over the fence to the women's side of the baths.

_'Pervert!'_ Naruto huffed. "Hey ero-jiji, what the hell do you think you're doing?" he cried. He grinned as multiple cries of "Pervert!" came from the hot springs and the fence came crashing down as a group of enraged women attacked the white haired man with weapons that appeared out of no where, considering the women were only wearing towels, or less.

Naruto's face went bright red as he felt blood flow down his face before turning away. When he turned back around, the mob of angry women (the most destructive force on the planet) was gone and what was left wasn't pretty. The white haired man's face was bloody, bruised and misshapen to the point that you could barely recognize that the face was human.

"Note to self: Never peek on women," Naruto said.

**"Better yet, don't get caught," Kurama's voice chuckled in Naruto's head.** Naruto nodded in concession.

"Wait a minute, please don't tell me this is the guy that jiji said would train me?" Naruto wailed as the white haired man came too.

"Who are you gaki?" the man snapped.

"Uzumaki Naruto, who the hell are you?" Naruto snapped back. The man's eyes widened for a spilt second, but Naruto caught it. Then Naruto's mouth fell open as the white haired man introduced himself in the most ridiculous way possible.

"You're Jiraiya of the Sannin, the Toad Sage, correct?" Naruto asked.

"Yep!" Jiraiya said proudly.

"So where have you been all these year, kyoufu?" Naruto asked coldly. Jiraiya's face paled.

"What are you talking about?" he whispered.

"Save the denial act, I know about my parents, my 'tenant' and you," Naruto growled. "So answer my question: where have you been?"

Jiraiya sighed and dropped his head. "Naruto, I don't know what to say. What do you want me to say? I wanted to be here, to raise you but my obligations to the village made me stay on the move almost constantly. And with me being constantly on the move, spying and gathering information for the village, that's no way to raise a child."

"But why haven't I seen you around before? I mean, you can't have been gone all these years?" Naruto asked.

"I've tried to see you as much as I could, but the blasted Council stopped me at every turn," Jiraiya said. "Though who do you think gave you your frog wallet and those goggles for your birthday a couple years ago?"

"That was you?" Naruto asked softly.

"Of course, I know they weren't the best gifts but I couldn't really give you something really extravagant or people would have started asking questions and you don't need more unwanted attention."

Naruto nodded. "Thank you kyoufu," he whispered. "I know that you would have tried to take me with you, but if I had gone with you I probably would have been in as much danger as I am in the village. I understand you're reasons for not being able to care for me growing up, but it's going to take some time for me to forget."

Jiraiya bowed his head. "I don't deserve forgiveness, hell, your parents would probably knock me for a loop if they knew, but thank you Naruto, and I promise that I will be around as much as I can be," he said. Naruto nodded. "So sensei sent you to find me to get some training for the Chunin Finals right?" Jiraiya asked.

"Hai!"

"What are you planning on working on then? Sensei sent some notes along to me over the years, and they've become more frequent since you graduated. He said that you know the Shadow Clone Jutsu, what else?"

"Hai, I know that, a couple wind and water jutsus, though I'm having trouble using my lighting affinity."

"Wait, you have a lighting affinity?" Jiraiya asked.

"Yeah, actually I've got three affinities; wind, water and lighting."

_'The kid's got three elemental affinities!' _Jiraiya thought. _'I wonder if he's just like Minato.'_ "You've got three affinities!" Jiraiya exclaimed. "That's really rare. Only problem is, my two affinities are the only two you don't have; earth and fire. So I don't know how much help I can really be in regards to those. Though I do have some jutsu scrolls that you can look at."

"That would be great, ero-sensei, but first I need to get my chakra control up to an acceptable level," Naruto said. "Right now, it's at high-genin/low-chunin level. I want it at low-jonin by the end of the month."

"Aren't you aiming a little high there?" Jiraiya said.

"Not really," Naruto said. "Taju Kage Bunshin!"

The clearing suddenly filled with around 100 clones. Jiraiya was gob smacked at the amount.

"All right, I want 25 of you to work on tree climbing until we can do it without thinking. Another 25 of you will work on the leaf exercise while tree climbing, and the rest of you start on water walking. Use up all your chakra then dispel, slowly."

"Yosh!" the clones cried.

Jiraiya watched in amazement as the clones rushed off to their assigned tasks. Then he turned to the original. "So you know the secrets for the Shadow Clone, well done. And what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to up my gravity seal to the next level and spend the night getting used to it," Naruto said.

"You use a gravity seal? What level are you at?" Jiraiya asked.

"Yes, I've been using them ever since I graduated, and I'm at level 5 going on level 6," Naruto said.

Jiraiya was stunned. _'A kid his age already at level 6 of a gravity seal!'_ he thought. "So what am I to do while you train?" he asked.

"Well, like I said, I need to get used to my new weight so I'll take it easy, though since you're a spy, you must have some jutsu that enables you to hide in plain sight, or turn invisible, right?" Naruto asked.

"Now that you mention it, I do have a jutsu that fits that description perfectly," Jiraiya said, mischief gleaming in his eyes. Here was something that he could give his godson that was his alone. "I call it my Transparency Jutsu, really useful for sneaking around, makes you turn invisible. It's nearly perfect, I just have to disguise my scent as well."

"Can you teach me, I think I might have an idea on how to use it against Neji-teme as well as give the village something to enjoy?" Naruto asked. Jiraiya smiled and nodded.

**A/N: Well, there's chapter 12. Sorry it took so long, been having real trouble with my muse. I know what I want to do with this story, mainly since it follows the manga, but I've been having trouble putting it in words. Hopefully you liked my Naruto/Hinata fight. I choose Hinata to fight Naruto because I wanted to have him change her character, make Hinata more confident and assertive. And in the manga, Hinata always wanted to show Naruto how much she's changed, so I thought might as well make her fighting Naruto the catalyst for that change. **

**I've had some reviewers over the chapters ask about 'ships in this story and I've decided that there won't be any 'real' relationships in this story, since it will only go until Naruto leaves for his training trip. There will be a sequel to this but that's quite a bit aways. **

**Hopefully you liked this chapter, please read and review. Send me messages if you have any suggestions on things to tweak, I'll consider them but there's no guarantee that they will be used.**

**Also, should Naruto have a kekkai Genkai? I have an idea to use his lighting affinity, have him internalize it and make it speed up his reflexes, like what the Raikage has in the manga. And if it were to become a Kekkai Genkai, I would add his wind element to it, to increase his speed but I'm not sure, so any thoughts on the idea would be greatly appreciated. **

**Phoenixflame**


	13. Opening the Blind

**Disclaimer: _Naruto_ doesn't belong to me, just having some fun with his universe. There are some jutsus that I've made but other than that, I own nothing.**

The Village Hidden in the Leaves seemed to have come alive as the day of the Chunin Exam Finals dawned bright and clear. Carriages and people by the dozens entered through the wide-open gates in preparation for the Finals. The air was abuzz with excitement as a figure stood upon the head of the Yondaime Hokage. From a distance one might confuse this figure with the deceased and revered Hokage but upon closer examination this figure was a good foot shorter, and seemed to have peculiar birthmarks adorning his cheeks that looked like whiskers yet these were the only differences between the two men.

"Well tou-san, it's time," Naruto said as he gazed out over the village. "I hope you and kaa-san are proud of me. I think you'd be pretty disappointed in how the village has treated me, going against your final wishes but I think I can understand their fear and pain. I'm the reminder of their fear and what they lost that night. But I think it's time that the Leaf and the ninja world sees the return of the Flash, don't you think?"

A warm breeze fluttered the short-sleeved coat that Naruto was wearing, acting as if someone agreed with him. "Ja ne tou-san, kaa-san, I'll see you after the Finals," Naruto said before vanishing in a streak of yellow.

Sakura walked out onto the floor of Konoha Stadium where the Chunin Exam Finals were being held and saw several of her fellow chunin hopefuls already there, including Shikamaru, Neji and the Sand siblings. But who she didn't see where her two teammates.

"Hey Shikamaru, where are Naruto and Sasuke?" she asked the lazy Nara heir. The dark-haired boy merely raised an eyebrow and shrugged. Sakura huffed in annoyance. The doors opened and everyone turned to see a Konoha jonin with a senbon sticking out of his mouth like a toothpick standing there with the two Iwa Nin bracketing him.

"Come on you lot, it's time," the jonin said.

"But sir, what about Naruto and Sasuke, they're not here yet?" Sakura asked.

"Well, if they're not here by the time their fights start, they forfeit the match and can't become a Chunin," the man said. "Now come on."

Hiruzen was looking out from his seat as the stadium quickly filled with spectators. He felt unease in his chest that he had long attributed to the realization that something bad was going to happen. It had settled in his chest ever since Naruto had come to him after the first exam about Kabuto as well as the sighting of his wayward former student Orochimaru during the second exam. Noticing something out of the corner of his eye, Hiruzen turned to see the Kazekage as well as the Tsuchikage, with their two bodyguards.

"Kazekage-san, Tsuchikage-san, welcome to the Village Hidden in the Leaves," Hiruzen said with a broad smile. "I'm glad that you both could make it."

The Kazekage nodded tightly and took his seat while the Tsuchikage chuckled, "Never thought I would be here Hiruzen, I'm surprised that you allowed my teams to participate in these exams."

"We shouldn't condemn the young for the sins of their parents," Hiruzen said.

As the genin made their way out to stadium floor, Sakura continued to look around for her teammates. "Where are they?" she muttered.

"Looks like that failure decided that he couldn't fight Fate," Neji sneered. "Guess that coward finally grew some brains and realized that he could never beat me."

Sakura spun around and raised a clenched fist, ready to deck Neji when a figure appeared in a flash of yellow in front of her. Shocked murmurs and whispers filtered down from the crowd as they took in the newcomer. Sakura blinked to clear her vision and then recognized the shock of golden blonde hair.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried.

"Hey Sakura-chan, how's it going?" Naruto said with a foxy grin.

"Baka, where have you been? You were almost late and then you would have been disqualified!" she berated. Naruto chuckled and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Well, it's a good thing I'm not late then," he said. "Where's the teme?"

"Don't know," Sakura replied. "But he's probably late because of Kakashi-sensei."

"You're probably right," Naruto said. Just then Sakura noticed Naruto's outfit.

"Naruto, what are you wearing?" she asked.

Naruto was wearing a blue jonin outfit with black sandals, a battered green flak jacket that had seen better days. Covering the flak jacket was a dark orange short-sleeved coat with red flames along the bottom and the Uzumaki spiral between his shoulder blades.

"What was that Neji?" Naruto asked coolly, glaring at the stunned Hyuga.

"Naruto!" Sakura snapped.

"Oh sorry Sakura-chan," Naruto chuckled sheepishly. "I just felt like putting on a show for the nobles, isn't that what we're here for? To show off what we can do, so I thought I might as well look good doing it."

As Naruto turned back to face Neji, his sharp hearing could hear some of the spectators muttering about his appearance, how the 'demon child' was disgracing the Yondaime.

Up in the Kage box, the Tsuchikage was starring shrewdly at Naruto. "Say Hiruzen, that newcomer looks a lot like that damnable Yellow Flash," the old man chuckled. "He's got some spunk for dressing like that."

Hiruzen licked his lips before answering, "Yes Naruto-kun idolizes the Yondaime, his dream is to become Hokage and surpass the Yondaime."

"Naruto eh? Well, he seems to know how to put on a show," the Tsuchikage said. "That move looked a lot like the Hiraishin, didn't it?"

"Well Naruto-kun is a bit of a prankster, I wouldn't be surprised if he rigged something up to make it look like it," Hiruzen said. "He was able to paint the Hokage monument in board daylight, so he's got a very interesting mind."

"All right you lot, unless your name is Hyuga Neji or Uzumaki Naruto, go back up to the viewing platform," Genma ordered. The others turned and made their way upstairs, Sakura giving Naruto a nervous smile which the blonde boy returned with his usual bright, confident smile.

"Are you two ready?" Genma asked. Both boys nodded. "Then hajime!" and he leapt back.

"If you think that dressing up like the Yondaime will do anything, you're wrong. You are Fated to lose this fight, there's nothing you can do," Neji sneered.

"I thought that I told you that Fate is what you make of it. You're just using it as an excuse, a crutch for all the 'perceived' hurts that you've suffered," Naruto said. "You're just a coward who doesn't have the courage to fight back against your self-perceived hurts. You're not the only one who's faced pain in their lives."

Neji's eyes flashed as his Byakugan activated and he surged forward. Naruto gave ground as he dodged or deflected Neji's strikes. Many people could be heard whispering at the speed and reflexes that Naruto was showing.

"Looks like I was right when I said that Hinata was a true Hyuga," Naruto said as he ducked under a Juken strike. "At least she was able to make this a real fight."

Neji roared in anger and dove at Naruto, who merely launched a spin kick that knocked Neji flying.

"Looks like that this Naruto knows about mental warfare," the Tsuchikage chuckled. "He's certainly gotten into that Hyuga's head."

"Yes, Naruto-kun does have quite the gift for getting under people's skin," Hiruzen said.

"Man, the title 'Rookie of the Year' means crap if you are the best genin from the year above me," Naruto said. "Man Neji, did your ever so precious Fate tell you that you were going to get your ass kicked by the 'dead last' orphan?"

"You haven't beaten me yet," Neji snarled. "You think that I've even shown a fraction of my true strength."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Well then, by all means. Show me what you've got," he said. Neji rushed forward, chakra glowing from his hands. Naruto dodged a Juken strike aiming for his heart and leapt backward to gain some space. He quickly made some hand seals before calling out, "**Futon: Shippuu Hitofuki!**" (Wind Release: Gale Gust).

Naruto took a deep breath and exhaled sharply, a stream of wind shot out of his mouth kicking up a great amount of dust obscuring Neji's vision, sort of.

"Ha! Do you really think you can hide from my Byakugan? Neji cried as he dashed into the dust cloud.

"What's going on?" Sakura cried. "I can't see anything in that cloud."

"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered as he tried to clear his vision as the dust cloud settled over the entire stadium.

"It's over," Neji cried as the dust cloud settled back to the ground. Everyone was stunned at the sight of Neji standing over Naruto, who was kneeling on the ground clutching his stomach in obvious pain. "A failure like you could never hope to beat me."

Naruto groaned as he looked up at the Hyuga, then he laughed. "Really Neji, for such a so-called genius, you sure are a baka," Naruto wheezed out.

"Big talk from the failure, you can barely stand and I've closed all your chakra points," Neji said. "You can't use any chakra, how do you think you could beat me?"

"Who said that you closed 'my' chakra points?" Naruto laughed as he suddenly 'poofed' into smoke.

"Ho, ho, a **Kage Bunshin**," the Tsuchikage laughed. "That's a high level jutsu you're teaching your genin there, Hiruzen."

"Oh I didn't teach Naruto that jutsu," Hiruzen chuckled. "He learned it by himself in only a couple of hours. And I'm impressed that he managed have that clone sustain those hits from Neji-kun, normally **Kage Bunshin** dispel after only one hit."

"**Kage Bunshin**!" Neji growled as he snapped his Byakugan on. "There you are!" he shouted as he raced toward a corner of the arena.

"What's Neji doing, no one is there?" Sakura asked from the viewing area.

"Well, I guess Ero-sennin was right," Naruto's voice smirked as he shimmered into existence in front of the charging Neji. "Your Byakugan can see through my **Toransupearenshi-ro-bu no Jutsu**. But your Byakugan is still blind to everything." (Robe of Transparency Jutsu).

Neji narrowed his eyes at Naruto's words. Suddenly he was surrounded as two-dozen Naruto's appeared out of thin air.

"More Kage Bunshins! Are you too much of a coward to fight me yourself?" Neji scoffed.

"Really, I'm a coward. So I'm the one who belittles someone who is fighting with everything they have to prove themselves, blames them for something that was totally out of their control," Naruto growled. "You think that Hinata is beneath you just because she doesn't like to fight and because her father was born just moments before yours."

"What do you know about our clan? You're the dead last classless dobe who was abandoned by…"

Naruto's eyes grew steely. A subtle pressure descended over the stadium. "I might be an orphan, I might not have a clan but I know that my parents loved me and gave their lives for me and this village," he growled. "Just like your father gave his life for his family."

"You don't know anything about my family, you never had a family!" Neji cried.

A wave of KI surged out of Naruto, stunning the entire stadium into silence. Sakura shivered, _'Note to self: don't make any comments about Naruto not having a family,'_ she thought. _'This is worse than Zabuza in the Land of Waves.'_

_**'Naruto does have a family, he's got Team Seven, we're a family,'**_** Inner Sakura retorted. **

_'You're right, we're a family,'_ Sakura thought as she turned back to the fight.

"Fine, if you won't listen I guess I'll have to just beat it into you," Naruto growled as he channeled some chakra. His clones rushed forward, Neji settling into his Juken stance. In a flurry of blows, the clones were quickly dispatched.

"Pathetic, is that it? You're just a one trick pony aren't you?" Neji sneered.

"Not quite," Naruto said as his hands flew through several hand signs. "**Suiton: Kirigakure no Jutsu!**" A heavy mist settled over the stadium.

Hiruzen's eyes widened as he recognized the jutsu. '_You certainly full of surprises, aren't you Naruto-kun,'_ he thought.

"Ho, ho, now where did the gaki learn that jutsu," the Tsuchikage chuckled. "I thought that only Kiri Nin could use it effectively."

"Well, Naruto's sensei is Hatake Kakashi," the Kazekage said. "So he might have learned it from Sharingan no Kakashi or perhaps on a mission to the Wave."

Hiruzen stiffened imperceptibly when the Kazekage spoke. While the knowledge that Kakashi was Naruto's sensei was common, Hiruzen couldn't help but feel that the Kazekage knew more than he should.

"Do you really think a little mist will help you?" Neji cried. "With my Byakugan, I can see through any of your attempts to hide."

"Really, well go ahead and try to find me," Naruto's voice echoed around the stadium. Sakura shivered as flashes of Team Seven's encounter with Zabuza in the Land of Waves came to the forefront of her mind. Neji activated his Byakugan, however he faltered when he winced in pain and deactivated it.

"What have you done?" Neji shouted, rubbing his eyes.

"So it worked then," Naruto's voice circled Neji, laced with amusement. "That's good to know. I wonder if it will work on all dojutsu or just the Byakugan."

"What are you talking about?" Neji cried.

"I just saturated the mist with my chakra," Naruto chuckled. "I didn't know if it would work or not, so color me impressed that it did. I hypothesized that since both the Byakugan and the Sharingan see chakra, if I created too much chakra I could 'blind' your eyes, and from what you said, it worked."

The audience was stunned at this. The dead last, demon child and troublemaker had come up with a way to defeat two of Konoha's greatest Kekkai Genkais. The Hyugas in the audience looked both shocked and angered by Naruto's seemingly casual dismissal of their Byakugan.

"That boy has my vote for promotion even if he doesn't fight again," the Tsuchikage laughed. "He just came up with a plan to disable the two most powerful dojutsus in the ninja world that quite a few people can use."

"True but I'm sure that the chakra drain isn't practical," Kazekage said, his eyes gleaming with greed. _'Kukuku…My, my Naruto-kun, to be able to come up with such a strategy, ingenious. Maybe I was a bit hasty in my dismissal of the Kyubi brat,' _Orochimaru thought.

"You're probably right Kazekage-san," Hiruzen said. "But Naruto is a special case, he has an overabundance of chakra, so the usage of this plan won't affect him as much as you might think."

"Where are you?" Neji screamed as he looked wildly around, trying to activate his Byakugan every few seconds but the mist still had too much chakra for Neji to get a clear picture of his surroundings.

"Right here," a chilling voice whispered next to Neji's ear. The Hyuga cried out and spun around, his fingers glowing with chakra.

"Too slow," Naruto said. "**Futon: Rendukan!**"

Naruto spat a ball of condensed wind chakra from his mouth that shot across the arena. Neji's eyes widened as he quickly spun on his heel, creating a sphere of chakra that surrounded him. The attack crashed into the Hyuga's defense creating a large explosion. Naruto narrowed his eyes to protect them from the dust and debris that had been kicked up by the eruption.

_'What was that! I've never seen a technique like that, though it looked a bit like my Rasengan,'_ Naruto thought. He watched Neji emerge from the smoke, battered and bruised but still conscious and looking pissed.

"Interesting technique," Naruto commented. "Though it looks like it uses quite a bit of chakra."

"That's my **Rotation**, it's my ultimate defense," Neji crowed as he glared at the blonde.

"Ultimate defense huh, well let's test it out," Naruto said as he made several more hand signs. "**Suiton: Tempodama!**" (Water Release: Gunshot). A ball of water shot out of Naruto's mouth and sped toward Neji. The Hyuga quickly spun on his heel and used **Rotation** to deflect most of the attack, however his clothes became soaking wet.

"Well it blocks wind and water attacks, let's try something a little more shocking," Naruto said with a grin. "**Raiton: Denryuu!**" (Lighting Release: Electric Current). He thrust his hands out and twin bolts of lighting shot across the arena toward Neji, who quickly attempted to use **Rotation** once more. However, his reflexes weren't as fast as lighting.

"Ahhhhh!" Neji cried as electricity arched around his body, his wet clothes beginning to smoke.

"This Naruto has three elemental affinities! Amazing for one so young," the Tsuchikage said in astonishment. "And he used them in succession, also as a combination attack, very impressive."

"Yes," Orochimaru said, his eyes locked on Naruto. "Very impressive, seems to me that you have another genius like the Yondaime on your hands."

Hiruzen chuckled. "Yes, and funny enough, Naruto had the worst grades in his Academy class. Though, he was more interested in planning pranks and causing mischief than taking tests."

In the viewing platform, Sakura watched as Naruto easily used three different jutsus, each a different affinity than the other. _'Naruto, how strong are you?'_ she thought, not knowing that similar thoughts were going through all the other genin except for Gaara who had a murderous gleam in his eyes. Neji struggled to his feet; his clothes still smoking slightly and his limbs twitching from the aftereffects of Naruto's jutsu.

"Glad to see you're still standing," Naruto said. "Though that might be more because my **Suiton: Tempodama** wasn't as effective as it should have been. I have to give you credit; using your **Rotation** to deflect most of the **Tempodama** was pretty smart."

"Coward, using jutsu as cheap tricks to try and defeat me," Neji snarled. "But you failed, I'm still able to fight and now I know your tricks, they won't work again."

"You think you know my tricks," Naruto laughed. "I haven't even begun to play, let's kick this up a notch. Kai!" Naruto cried, focusing his chakra. Nothing seemed to happen, just Naruto standing there with his hands held together in a ram seal.

"This isn't a genjutsu you can just release yourself from," Neji sneered. "Then again, you are the dobe, so I'm surprised that you even know what a genjutsu is."

"I wasn't releasing a genjutsu, something much better," Naruto grinned as he suddenly blurred out of sight.

"What the…" Neji was cut off as Naruto's fist was planted in his stomach. Neji keeled over, gasping for air. Naruto was standing over Neji like a tower, even though Naruto was a full head shorter than the Hyuga.

"So you say a ninja using ninjutsu is cheating and cowardly," Naruto said simply. "Well then, how about we finish this with our fists, just taijutsu. It's always more satisfying to finish things with their fists, don't you think?"

Neji struggled to stand up as he glared at Naruto, who was standing there like he was just taking in the scenery. "How dare you look down on me, you commoner!" Neji roared. "You will pay for this."

The enraged Hyuga activated his Byakugan and charged Naruto, who grinned almost manically. "Let's see if you can catch me," Naruto laughed as he vanished once again.

_'What is this jutsu?'_ Neji thought frantically. With his Byakugan, he was barely able to keep track of the blonde. _'It's almost like when Lee…' _"NO!" he cried as he barely ducked under a vicious spin kick. "There's no way you can be this fast!"

"So you finally figured it out," Naruto chided. "You know for a supposed genius, you are pretty slow on the uptake. That wasn't a genjutsu release I used, it was a seal release, a gravity seal to be specific. Right now, I'm probably a little slower than Lee without his weights. Your eyes might be able to keep up with me but let's see how your body does." Naruto vanished once more in a burst of speed that left Neji and the crowd gawking.

"A gravity seal!" the Tsuchikage exclaimed. "Seems to me that that boy is more than just a Yondaime look-a-like, if rumors are true, that man used the same training exercise to get stronger."

"Well, like I said, Naruto-kun idolizes the Yondaime and he hopes one day to surpass him," Hiruzen said, while inwardly sweating. It wouldn't do for the Tsuchikage to become suspicious of Naruto's heritage, though Hiruzen knew that while Iwa hated Konoha and Minato, they wouldn't attack without the Tsuchikage's approval. And the Tsuchikage wasn't big into blaming the son for the father's sins. But if word got back to Iwa, there might be a chance that someone would try and gain favor by attempting to assassinate Naruto.

Neji crashed to the ground from another one of Naruto's kicks. The blonde had been right, while Neji could see Naruto's move but his reactions weren't quick enough to defend himself as well as he would like, he was used to facing off against Lee at this speed. Lee's taijutsu style was very easy to read with his Byakugan, while this boy's was unpredictable and wild, almost as if it was constantly changing.

Naruto's taijutsu had improved by leaps and bounds since the Academy; he had thrown himself into mastering his mother's clan's taijutsu style, he wasn't a master, that would take years upon years of experience and training but Naruto considered himself a match for nearly anyone his age in a taijutsu fight, with the exception of Rock Lee without his weights on, as Lee was much stronger physically than Naruto as well as he was considered a genius in his **Goken** taijutsu style.

"Come on Neji, surely this isn't all you've got," Naruto said looking down at Neji. "You're supposed to be a genius but you're not acting like it."

Neji snarled. He struggled to his feet, blinking blood from his eyes. "You won't get away with this, you might be as fast as Lee but that failure has never defeated me and neither will you," he growled. "You are within the range of my divination." Neji settled into a stance that Naruto didn't recognize. "**Hakke Rokujūyon Shō!**" (Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms).

The Hyuga surged forward with incredible speed, his hands outstretched.

"Two palms!"

"Four palms!"

"Eight palms!"

"Sixteen palms!"

"Thirty-two palms!"

"Sixty-four palms!"

Naruto fell to the ground, his arms and legs twitching rapidly, as if all the nerves were firing off at different intervals.

"It's over, I've blocked all of your chakra points," Neji said smugly. "You're lucky to still be breathing, let alone moving. But you're done now, you can't use anymore of your chakra."

"Are you sure that's me Neji?" a voice called out. Naruto walked out of the trees grinning mischievously, the Naruto in front of Neji suddenly exploded into smoke.

"Kage Bunshin!" Neji snarled.

"It's a great jutsu to fool your and Sasuke-teme's eyes," Naruto chuckled. "The Byakugan and Sharingan might be able to see chakra but since the Kage Bunshin is a solid clone, your eyes can't tell the difference. Now where were we? Oh yes, me kicking your ass."

Naruto dashed forward, planting his fist deep into Neji's stomach. Neji bent over, gasping for air but his face was met by Naruto's rising knee, which snapped his head back. Naruto continued on landing a snap kick to Neji's ribs, Neji cried out in pain as he felt one of his ribs give way. The longhaired boy crashed to the ground, coughing up blood. "You rely too much on those eyes of yours, no matter how wide your vision may be Neji, there will always be somethings that you can't see. I know all about how the Hyuga clan is spilt up, and personally I think it's pathetic how the so-called 'strongest' clan in Konoha hides behind their own family. I can understand why they use the Caged-Bird Seal however, if they were smart or at all human, the seal would just lock away the Byakugan after death, it wouldn't be used as a torture device. When I become Hokage, that's one of the first things I'm changing about this place."

Hiruzen smiled broadly down at Naruto after hearing his words. _'That boy is going to be a brilliant Hokage someday, and an even better man,'_ he thought.

"Proctor, this fight is over," Naruto said, looking up at Genma, who was watching the two genin with a gimlet eye. He looked down at Neji, who was just staring off at the sky, his eyes not focusing on anything.

"Winner: Uzumaki Naruto," Genma announced. Naruto gave a quick bow to the jonin and walked off toward the stairs leading to the viewing platform. As he made his way over, the stadium erupted into cheers, much to Naruto's surprise.

"Naruto, that was amazing!" Sakura exclaimed when he reached the others. "You really showed Neji and everyone else how strong you've become."

Naruto laughed nervously. "I guess so, I just hope that Neji takes those final words to heart," he said growing serious. "Relying on just his Byakugan and Gentle Fist style will stunt his growth as a shinobi. I never understood why the Hyuga look down upon the other clans for learning different styles in addition to their own. Say where's the teme, his fight is up next."

"He's not here yet," Sakura answered. "If he doesn't show up soon, he'll forfeit his match."

"I doubt that, they'll probably just push it back to the last fight in order to make sure their previous Uchiha isn't troubled by it," Naruto growled. "So that means your fight is up next, you're going up against that girl from the Sand who uses Futon, right?"

Sakura nodded. "That's right, I just hope that I can win," she muttered. "She seems really strong."

"Have faith in yourself Sakura-chan, you'll do fine," Naruto said with a broad grin. "You're one of the smartest person I know, I'm sure that you've got some kind of plan ready to go. And besides, at least from the preliminaries, all that girl has is long-range attacks, so I would think of trying to get in close."

Sakura nodded. "Thank you Naruto."

"As one of the combatants has yet to arrive, the match between Sabaku no Gaara and Uchiha Sasuke has been delayed until the end of the round," Genma announced. ("Told you," Naruto was heard muttering.) "Though Sasuke will be allowed to fight, he will not be eligible to be promoted to chunin. Now if Sabaku no Temari and Haruno Sakura would come down here, we can begin the next match."

"Good luck Sakura-chan," Naruto cried as the two kunoichi made their way down the stairs to the stadium floor.

"Oh how sweet, too bad your little boyfriend isn't going to be able to help you here," Temari sneered as she and Sakura got ready for Genma to begin their match. Sakura's face flushed, though whether from anger or something else, no one could tell.

"He's not my boyfriend, he's my teammate and best friend," the pink haired genin snapped back. "And I won't need his help to beat someone like you."

"We'll see about that," Temari answered with a seemingly malicious smile. Sakura felt a bead of sweat trickle down the back of her neck at the sight.

"Hajime!" Genma shouted and leapt out of the way as Temari swung her fan around, sending a powerful gust of wind toward Sakura. Sakura leapt backward and rolled to the side, avoiding the attack. She quickly created three Bunshins and used them as cover to weave several hand signs together.

"**Narakumi no Jutsu!**" Sakura whispered as she disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

"Pathetic," Temari shouted. "If you think that I'd fall for this cheap trick, guess again. Shinobi of the Sand aren't so easy to trick. **Futon: Kazekiri!**"

A chakra infused gust of wind sliced through the genjutsu easily as well as destroying the three Bunshins that Sakura had created. However, Sakura was nowhere in sight.

"**Doton: Taiga no Deido!**" Sakura called out. (Earth Release: River of Mud). Temari spun around to see Sakura slamming her hands on the ground. The ground in front of the pink-haired girl quickly liquefied into mud, causing Temari to stumble slightly as her footing faltered.

"**Doton: Ryusha Ageita!**" Sakura cried. (Earth Release: Quicksand Trap). Suddenly Temari felt as if the mud around her feet was latching onto her legs and sucking her down.

"You're going to have to do better than that to catch me," Temari shouted as she channeled chakra into her legs and jumped out of the mud. Spinning in the air, she wiped her fan around and shouted, "**Futon: Aoru Uindo Yaiba!**" (Wind Release: Fan Wind Blade).

"Kuso!" Sakura growled as she leapt backward to avoid the attack. The attack demolished the forest that Sakura had been hiding in.

"Is this it?" Temari scoffed. "You call yourself a kunoichi, pathetic."

Sakura growled under her breath as her own insecurities escaped from the deep reaches of her mind.

_**'Are you just going to stand here and let her berate you like that?'**_** Inner Sakura roared. **_**'You are a kunoichi of Konoha, act like it. Yes, we didn't really take this seriously at the beginning but we've changed and we're a lot stronger now. Now show this Sand bitch what it means to be a Konoha kunoichi!'**_

_'You're right, I might not be as strong as I could be if I hadn't been chasing after Sasuke during the Academy but I'm not weak!'_ Sakura thought. Reaching into her equipment pouch, Sakura pulled out several kunai and exploding tags. Leaping from cover, Sakura threw two kunai at the Sand kunoichi. Temari scoffed as she used her fan to easily blow the kunai away.

"You're going to have to do better than that," Temari said. "What the?" she said, hearing a sizzling sound behind her. Turning around, she saw a kunai sticking out of the ground with an exploding tag attached, the same exploding tag that had started smoking.

"Kuso!" Temari cursed. She leapt backward just as the tag went off, causing a large explosion. Temari winced as she was peppered by debris and heat from the explosion.

"How's this for 'doing better'?" Temari heard a voice whisper behind her. Before she could react, a fist planted itself against her temple and she was thrown across the stadium floor. The Sand kunoichi struggled to her feet, her eyes widened when she felt the coppery taste of blood filling her mouth. Spitting the blood from her mouth, Temari opened her fan to revel three purple dots.

"It's over you pest," she shouted. "**Futon: Daikamaitachi no Jutsu!**" (Wind Release: Great Sickle Weasel Technique). A massive rush of wind filled the stadium, coming from several different directions and all forming dozens of wind blades. Sakura's hands quickly made several hand signs. Slamming her palms to the ground she cried out, "**Doton: Ishigaki no Jutsu!**" (Earth Release: Stone Wall).

The earth trembled for a moment, and then it rose in front of Sakura. However, it wasn't thick enough to block all of Temari's attack. The wind blades cut through the mound of earth and the resulting explosion sent Sakura flying backward through the air until she came to a sudden stop by slamming headfirst into the stadium's wall. She slumped to the ground, not moving.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto cried as he gripped the railing tightly, looking down at his fallen teammate. So focused was Naruto that he barely registered the proctor calling the match in Temari's favor. A medical team sprinted out onto the stadium floor and placed Sakura onto a stretcher before disappearing once more, taking the downed kunoichi to the infirmary. Temari made her way back up to the viewing room and noticed Naruto watching her opponent being taken away on a stretcher like a hawk.

"Pathetic," she scoffed. "She makes all kunoichis look weak."

Naruto growled but was stopped from making any other moves by Shikamaru's hand gripping his shoulder. "Easy there Naruto, why don't you just go see how Sakura is doing?" he said. "I'm sure that when she wakes up, she'll feel bad enough."

Naruto huffed but nodded. He pinned Temari with one final glare before making his way out of the room. Shikamaru looked over at the Sand genin. "I wouldn't piss him off, especially after what he just did to that Hyuga. I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't even show half his true strength," the Nara heir said.

"Would Sabaku no Kankuro and Aburame Shino come down for their match?" Genma called out.

"I forfeit!" Kankuro cried. Everyone in the viewing platform looked over at the puppet user in shock.

"Ok, moving on then," Genma sighed. "Dosu of the Sound and Aniki of Iwa, get down here."

Naruto made his way down into the depths of the stadium trying to find the infirmary. He didn't think he could stay in the same room as the Sand girl who belittled Sakura like that, it took all he could not to slam a Rasengan into her face. "Excuse me, where's the infirmary?" Naruto asked as passing medic.

"Oh, it's at the end of the hall and on the right," the medic said.

"Thanks," Naruto said as he walked past.

"Hey kid," Naruto stopped and turned. "Nice match out there, and good luck in your next one," the medic said before continuing on down the hall. Naruto stood frozen; no one aside from the Sandaime, the Ichirakus and Iruka-sensei had ever congratulated him on anything. As if in a trance, Naruto made his way into the infirmary and found Sakura lying on a bed, her pink hair hidden in a turban of bandages around her head, as well as her left arm and right leg. Naruto made his way over to the bed, looking down at his injured teammate.

"Sakura-chan," he whispered, taking her hand in his. "Don't worry, you were great out there. You showed everyone how strong you've become, and I promise you that I will show everyone how strong Konoha is."

"Naruto," Sakura whispered weakly before falling back unconsciousness. Naruto sat there holding Sakura's hand for another thirty minutes until he heard the cheers from the crowd.

"I'll be back Sakura-chan," Naruto whispered before giving her hand a quick squeeze. Naruto crept out of the infirmary and made his way back up to the viewing room just in time to see two figures appear in a swirl of leaves. Naruto's face twisted into a grimace as cheers erupted around the stadium at the sight of Uchiha Sasuke and Hatake Kakashi.

"We're not late, are we?" Kakashi asked, scratching the back of his head.

"No," Genma said shortly. "The Kages decided to push back the Uchiha's match until the end of the first round, however since he was late, he will NOT be eligible for promotion, no matter what happens."

"WHAT!" Sasuke roared. "How dare they, what gives them the right to…"

"Silence GENIN!" Genma barked. "They are the Hokage, Tsuchikage and Kazekage. Three of the most powerful ninja in the world and they are the ones who decide who gets promoted, not another word out of you unless you want to be disqualified before you even get a chance to fight." Sasuke snarled but didn't speak. "Sabaku no Gaara, would you come down here?"

Gaara appeared in a swirl of sand in front of Sasuke, the Sand ninja's face twisted in a bloodthirsty grin. Sasuke met that look with his typical Uchiha arrogant smirk.

"The final match of the first round, between Sabaku no Gaara of the Sand and Uchiha Sasuke of the Leaf will now BEGIN!" Genma cried as he leapt backward.

Sasuke whipped out a kunai and threw it toward Gaara. Without moving, sand flew out of the gourd on Gaara's back and easily blocked the kunai. Then Gaara's sand shot forward, in the shape of a wave, toward Sasuke with frightening speed. Sasuke leapt backward and perched himself on one of the walls, looking down at Gaara like some type of bird. Gaara looked up Sasuke without emotion before his sand began to surround him, slowly creating a large sphere around the Suna-nin.

"What's that Gaara doing?" Naruto muttered to himself as he watched Sasuke make several hand signs. A sound similar to a massive amount of birds chirping filled the stadium. Naruto's eyes widened when he saw Sasuke's right hand become encased in blue-white lighting.

"What the hell is that?" Naruto exclaimed.

"That's my only original technique," a voice said behind Naruto. The blonde turned to see Kakashi standing behind him, with Sakura.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto cried rushing over. "Are you all right? What are you doing up? Shouldn't you still be resting?"

"Naruto, I'm fine just a little bruised and woozy," Sakura said. "And besides I wanted to see Sasuke's fight. I might not be chasing after him anymore but he's still my teammate and I will support him."

Naruto nodded. "What were you saying Kakashi-sensei? That's your own technique, right?"

"Correct Naruto," Kakashi said. "The **Chidori** is my only original technique. I created it to emulate the Yondaime's own technique. Lucky for Sasuke, he has a lighting affinity and he was able to learn it."

"Could I learn it too?" Naruto asked.

"You might be able to learn but you can't use it," Kakashi said. At Naruto's confused and slightly angered expression, he continued, "The **Chidori** is an incomplete technique unless you have the **Sharingan**. It's a full frontal assault that has you moving so fast that without the **Sharingan**, you can't react to a possible counter attack. I learned that the hard way when I first used it, in fact it was the Yondaime who told me that."

"How did he know?" Sakura asked.

"The Yondaime was my jonin-sensei," Kakashi said. Naruto knew this already but Sakura was stunned.

"He was your sensei, what was he like? We didn't learn much about him in the Academy," Sakura said excitedly. Naruto looked at Kakashi intently.

"Maybe some other time," Kakashi said. "I think Sasuke's match is just getting interesting."

Naruto turned back to the match in time to see Sasuke speed down the stadium wall, his lighting encased hand trailing behind him, heading straight for the sphere of sand that hid Gaara.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Naruto said. "Why is Gaara just hiding in that sphere of sand instead of attacking Sasuke? During the preliminaries, Gaara was the aggressor."

"Do you have so little faith in your teammate Naruto?" Kakashi chided.

Naruto turned to his sensei with a very serious look on his face. "No sensei, I don't have much faith in Sasuke mainly because I think he's a cheat. He uses his **Sharingan** to steal others' jutsus as his own, just like with Lee's taijutsu move during the preliminaries."

Kakashi frowned, while Sakura looked stunned. "What I mean is, that since Sasuke is the last 'loyal' Uchiha, he is treated like royalty and has this huge superiority complex. He thinks that he should get anything and everything he wants, and that includes jutsus," Naruto said. "Remember what he said after the preliminaries, after I told him about using that taijutsu move from Lee, he didn't care that he stole it, only that it gave him enough power to win."

Sakura was looking thoughtful while Kakashi was still frowning, though internally he was agreeing with Naruto. _'Bloody Council forcing me to 'train' Sasuke,'_ Kakashi thought. _'Just giving him jutsus by the dozens isn't training him, it's pandering to the brat's superiority complex.'_

Sasuke smirked arrogantly as he dodged under several sand spikes that had flown out from the sphere of sand that his opponent had hidden himself in. With his **Sharingan**, he could easily see the attacks coming and dodge them. When he was finally in range, Sasuke thrust his hand forward and the **Chidori** stabbed deeply into sand sphere. He grinned manically when he felt warm liquid cover his hand before yanking it out. The sand sphere seemed to tremble before quickly collapsing, reveling Gaara who was clutching his shoulder looking absolutely shocked that he had been wounded. Sasuke smirked and leapt back to gain space before launching another attack.

BOOM!

Sasuke looked up in time to see a large explosion go off in the Kage box and saw several figures leap out of the smoke and atop the tower that loomed over the stadium. Looking around wildly, he saw that all of the spectators had suddenly fallen asleep. Out of the corner of his eye, Sasuke saw the two Sand teammates of Gaara leap down to the wounded boy's sides. The two genin grabbed Gaara and leapt off and vanished over the stadium wall.

"What are you just standing there for GENIN?" Genma shouted. "Meet up with your sensei for orders, this isn't a drill, it's…" He was cut off when a Sand ninja appeared in front of him.

Sasuke looked around, trying to spot Kakashi but then realized that his opponent was wounded but not down and that wouldn't do. He grinned and leapt after the Sand genin.

"What the hell?" Naruto cried as an explosion rocked the stadium, and then dozens of feathers appeared in his vision. He felt his eyes feel heavy and his head felt light, he needed to sit down or lay down somewhere.

"Naruto!" Sakura's voice cut through his daze, as well as he felt as if someone had just pinched him. He shook his head and saw Sakura looking at him with resigned amusement.

"What happened?" he asked.

"It was a genjutsu," Sakura said. "We're under attack by the Sound and Sand."

A pair of Sound ninjas appeared behind Sakura, with kunai raised. Naruto grabbed Sakura by the arm and pulled her into his chest, ignoring her squawk of protest as the kunai slashed through empty air. Rolling over so that she was beneath him, Naruto picked Sakura up bridal style and leap over a row of seats to avoid a second pair of thrown kunai. "Sorry Sakura-chan but there wasn't time," Naruto said seeing Sakura's red face. "Be right back."

Naruto blurred out of sight, then there came two grunts and the two Sound ninjas collapsed to the floor, each with a kunai in their spines. All around them Leaf ninja clashed with Sound and Sand ninja. "Get your head in the game Sakura," Kakashi barked appearing behind the pink-haired genin with a kunai in each hand. "Sasuke has gone after the Sand team, get Naruto and Shikamaru and go after them. **Summoning Jutsu!**"

Kakashi slammed a hand on the floor and in a puff of smoke, a small dog wearing a blue shirt with a Konoha headband atop its head. "Pakkun here will lead you there," Kakashi said. "Now go!"

"How is this puppy going to help us find Sasuke?" Sakura asked.

"Who you calling a puppy girly?" Pakkun asked.

"Pakkun is one of my tracking nin-dogs," Kakashi said. "Now grab Naruto and Shikamaru and go!" Kakashi vanished in a swirl of leaves.

Sakura looked up to see Naruto battling several Sound ninjas, along with his clones. "Naruto, we've got to find Sasuke. He went after the Sand genin team," Sakura shouted. Naruto ran through some hand signs and called out, "**Raiton: Denryuu!**" Several small sparks of lighting shot out of Naruto's hands and hit the kunai that the Sound ninjas were carrying. Cursing, the Sound ninja dropped their kunai and shook their hands to get the feeling back in them. However, this was a mistake as several Naruto clones appeared behind them and knocked them out with a chop to each neck.

"Wait, what did you say?" Naruto asked.

"Kakashi-sensei said that Sasuke took off after the Sand team, and he wants us to find him," Sakura said.

"Typical, Sasuke goes off on his own and we have to go and pull his ass from the fire," Naruto grumbled. "How are we supposed to find Sasuke-teme?"

"Yo," a gruff voice said from Naruto's food. Looking down, Naruto saw a small pug-sized dog looking up at him with a paw raised in salute.

"That's Pakkun, he's one of Kakashi-sensei's summons and he'll be able to track Sasuke," Sakura said. "Now help me find Shikamaru, sensei said that we had to take him as well."

"Roger," Naruto said. "**Kage Bunshin!**" A dozen clones appeared. "Find Shikamaru," Naruto ordered and the clones dispersed into the crowd. A moment later, Naruto stiffened. "He's upstairs. He's either been caught by that genjutsu or he's faking being asleep."

Sakura growled. "That sounds about right," she said. "Let's go." The two members of Team 7 leapt off in pursuit of their lazy classmate. Appearing in the stands, Naruto and Sakura saw the destruction and damage that the attack had caused, several Leaf ninja were lying on the floor bleeding, though many more Sound and Sand ninjas were also on the ground.

"There he is," Naruto said, pointing toward the end of the row of seats. Shikamaru was lying on across two seats, not moving. They raced over to him. "What do you think, genjutsu or is he faking?"

Just then Shikamaru twitched, as if he had been stung. Naruto and Sakura looked at each other and said simultaneously, "Shikamaru, wake the HELL up!" Pakkun leapt onto the sleeping boy and raised a leg.

"Get off me, you troublesome dog," Shikamaru yelped, his eyes snapping open. Pakkun hopped down to the ground and looked up at the three genin.

"Come on you three, we better go," the ninja dog said heavily. Naruto and Sakura nodded while Shikamaru sighed and muttered something.

"Kakashi-sensei has ordered us to follow and find Sasuke before he does something stupid," Sakura told Shikamaru as they leapt through a hole in the wall.

"Like get himself killed for chasing after those Sand genin," Naruto growled. "He has no idea what he's getting himself into. Gaara isn't like a normal ninja, he's got a monster in him and it's affecting his judgment."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked as the trio leapt through the forest following Pakkun.

"Just a feeling I have, he kept talking about his mother and how he wanted to give her blood," Naruto said. "Something tells me that it's not really his mother telling him that."

"Come on hurry up," Pakkun called out. "We're closing in on them."

"How far ahead are they?" Naruto asked.

"Less than a mile," the ninja dog answered. A moment later, he added, "Pick up the pace, we've got eight different scents following us. And they're closing fast."

"Kuso! It has to be a pursuit squad, or two," Shikamaru cursed. "They must have noticed us leaving the arena and followed us."

"What are we going to do then?" Naruto asked.

"Will they catch up to us before we reach Sasuke?" Shikamaru asked Pakkun.

"Yes, wait, there's another scent that's now trailing them," Pakkun said.

The three genin cursed once more. "What are we going to do? If they catch us before we find Sasuke, I don't think they'll let us get by," Naruto said.

"One of us is going to have to delay them, spring an ambush on them to buy as much time for you two as possible," Shikamaru said.

"What are you talking about? I should be the one to do the ambush, with my Shadow Clones it should be easy," Naruto argued.

"That might be true but you're also the strongest one here," Shikamaru said. "You're the only one who can fight Gaara, my family's jutsu is made for delaying tactics. Just keep going, find Sasuke and save his ass." Shikamaru landed on a branch and turned to face their pursuers. Naruto and Sakura looked back at their fellow genin, each having the same thought running through their heads, _'Be careful Shikamaru.'_

"Do you think Shikamaru will be able to stop them?" Sakura asked as she and Naruto leapt through the trees following Pakkun.

"Have faith in him, Shikamaru might seem like a slacker and a flake, he's the smartest person I know and if anyone can come up with a plan to ambush our pursuers, it's him," Naruto said. "Pakkun, how much farther?"

"Not far," Pakkun answered. "They seemed to have stopped, less than a half mile ahead. Also two scents have broken off from Sasuke, one of wood and oil, and the other is something I can't describe."

"Well the wood and oil scent must be that puppet user on their team, hopefully that other scent is a Leaf ninja who caught up with them," Sakura said. "We better hurry though, if they've stopped that must mean that Gaara has recovered and they are getting ready to fight."

"Right!" Naruto said. "Sakura, I'm going to go on ahead. Sasuke's going to need help fast and I'm faster than you, follow Pakkun and then get Sasuke out of there if you can."

"Ok Naruto, be careful," Sakura said.

"Hey, it's me Sakura-chan," Naruto laughed as he released his seals and vanished into the forest.

"That's precisely the reason I said it, Naruto," Sakura muttered.

Naruto sped through the forest, his advanced hearing picking up the sounds of battle coming closer and closer. Crashing through a final glade of trees, Naruto came upon a truly frightening sight. Gaara was standing over Sasuke, who looked like he had been thrown through the ringer. Gaara looked like some sort of monster hybrid; nearly his entire body was covered by a sand construct with blue and black tattoos running all over his body. Black flame tattoos covered Sasuke's body causing Naruto to curse as he realized that Sasuke had used the curse mark against Gaara.

"**Kage Bunshin!**" Naruto shouted as Gaara approached Sasuke intent on squashing the last Uchiha like a bug. Dozens of shadow clones appeared between Gaara and Sasuke. "**Futon: Rendukan!**" the clones shouted, shooting dozens of compressed chakra balls at Gaara.

The Sand/demon hybrid leapt back from the attack and landed on a branch a hundred meters away. He turned to Naruto and snarled, "You!"

"Me," Naruto answered calmly, even though on the inside he was stunned and scared. _'This could have been me if Iruka-sensei and Jiji hadn't accepted me and acknowledged me,'_ he thought. "I'm sorry Gaara, even though I don't like Sasuke much…well actually I don't like him at all, he's a fellow Leaf ninja. And so I can't let you kill him."

"Dobe, what the hell are you doing here?" Sasuke roared.

"I'm saving your sorry butt, what were you thinking chasing after these guys by yourself," Naruto shouted. "Did you have any plan or did you just think that you could just walk over them?" Sasuke snarled at the blonde but didn't answer. "Thought so."

Naruto turned back to Gaara. "Gaara, stop this!" he said. "Your village's invasion is going to fail, there's no point in continuing this pointless fighting."

"I don't care about this invasion, all I care about is proving my existence and that means killing you and the Uchiha," Gaara cried.

"Naruto, Sasuke!" a familiar voice called out. The two boys turned to see Sakura racing toward them. A blur of tan flew past the two Leaf genin, heading toward Sakura.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto roared as Gaara closed in on the pink-haired girl.

Sakura saw the monstrous form of Gaara closing in on her and froze, mindlessly groping for a kunai to defend herself. She was too slow though, as Gaara/Shukaku's hand closed around her, cutting off any air that she tried to get. The hand slammed her into a tree trunk, knocking any remaining air from her lungs. Gaara grinned manically as he started to tighten his hand around the pink-haired girl.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted once more, charging toward the half-transformed Gaara. Suddenly a massive tail emerged from Gaara's backside and swung around, knocking Naruto aside like a fly.

"So this weakling is important to you," Gaara sneered. "Well, let's see how important she is." Gaara pulled back from Sakura, though his hand separated from his body, leaving her pinned to the trunk. "That sand will continue to tighten around her until her entire body is crushed to pieces. The only way for you to release her is to defeat me, so Uzumaki Naruto, show me your strength." Whirling around, Gaara spat out several gobs of sand, "**Suna Shuriken!**"

Naruto leapt out of the way of the sand projectiles and threw a kunai at the transformed Gaara, then made several hand signs, "**Kage Kunai Bunshin no Jutsu!**" The single kunai became hundreds as they rained down upon Gaara, who raised an arm to protect himself. Gaara quickly became a pincushion for all the kunai, though they didn't do much damage.

"You think these pesky kunai can hurt me," Gaara roared.

"Not really but this will," a hard voice growled from behind Gaara. The Sand ninja spun around to see Naruto behind him, holding a glowing ball of blue chakra. "**Rasengan!**" Naruto roared, slamming the attack into Gaara's stomach.

The Sand ninja roared out in surprise and pain as the **Rasengan** drilled it's way deeper and deeper into the sand protecting Gaara. "This is it," Naruto cried, summoning up more chakra into the **Rasengan** and sending Gaara flying. Naruto dropped to his knees in exhaustion. He had to put so much chakra into that **Rasengan** just to force it's way through the thick sand around Gaara that it nearly drained him.

While the **Rasengan** took only a set amount of chakra to form and stabilize, trying to have it drill through sand was much more difficult than drilling through something like wood, stone or flesh. And so Naruto had to pump magnitudes more chakra into the attack for it to work as well as on another, more solid, substance.

"Naruto, how strong are you? How do you have this power?" Sasuke snarled. "I should have that power, not you!"

Gaara slowly got to his feet, groaning in pain. _'How is he this strong? How does he have such strength, there's no way! Not to a guy like him, there's no way I'm going to lose to a guy like him!'_

Naruto slowly got to his feet, looking around for Gaara. A deafening roar filled the forest as the trees in front of Naruto exploded. Flying backward, Naruto watched as an enormous shadow loomed over him. _'So that's the monster inside Gaara,'_ Naruto thought. _'Now what am I going to do, I used up most of my chakra with that __**Rasengan**__. I can't beat something like that by myself.'_

"To think that you brought this out of me Uzumaki Naruto," the giant tanuki said. "But it's time to end this. **Sabaku Kyu!**" (Sand Coffin).

"What the!" Naruto cried as his legs slowly began to be surrounded by sand. "Kuso! I can barley move, I barely have enough chakra to stand let alone use another jutsu."

Just then Naruto heard a soft groan of pain coming from behind him. Turning around, he saw the sand hand that held Sakura against a tree. Sakura's face seemed almost peaceful, except for the slight twitching and furrowing of her brow as the sand tightened around her. _'Sakura-chan!'_ Naruto thought. _'I've got to do something, if I don't Sakura-chan is as good as dead, and this monster will attack the village. Come on, just a little more chakra, please!'_ The giant tanuki raised its hand and made a fist when suddenly Naruto cried out, "**Summoning Jutsu!**"

There came a massive explosion and a giant reddish-brown toad wearing a blue happi coat with a large blade in his bandage-belt. "What the!" the toad bellowed. "What's going on?"

"I'm sorry about this Toad Boss but I need some help with this guy," Naruto said from atop the toad's massive head.

"Naruto! What the hell were you thinking summoning me into this mess?" Gamabunta roared. He looked over and saw the giant Sand demon. "So, the Sand spirit Shukaku, what do you know?"

"Look Chief Toad, I would really appreciate your help," Naruto explained. "I barely have any chakra left and if I don't stop him soon, Sakura is as good as dead and then he'll go after the village."

"I see, well you're going to owe me one Naruto," Gamabunta said, exhaling a large amount of smoke from his mouth right into Shukaku's face. "This guy is no joke."

"I know Gama-sama but we have to try," Naruto said. "I made a promise that I would protect Sakura-chan no matter what, and I don't go back on my promises."

Gamabunta chuckled deeply as he was reminded of another blonde-haired man that stood upon his head the last time he faced off against a Biju. "Right then squirt, hang on," the giant toad said as he drew his tanto blade. Gamabunta surged forward and slashed his blade against Shukaku's arm. Bunta's momentum was just enough for the blade to cut off Shukaku's arm, though the toad's blade flew off.

"Damn, he's got one tough hide," Bunta grunted. "I was barely able to make that cut. Kid, you need to wake that other kid up. Shukaku preys on fear, especially when his container is asleep. So if the container wakes up, Shukaku goes back to being contained."

"Ok, but now in the hell do I do that?" Naruto cried as they dodged a **Futon: Rendukan**. Bunta spat a **Suiton: Tempodama** at Shukaku, who leapt backward dodging it.

"Fire off a few rounds at him, knock some sense into him," Gamabunta roared. "Just do something."

"All right Chief Toad but you're going to have to hold him down for a few seconds," Naruto said as his mind raced through several jutsus that might work.

"Here we go kid," Bunta announced. He charged forward and leapt into the air. "**Setsudanki Rakka!**" he roared as the giant toad came crashing down on top Shukaku, his tanto pointed down, slicing deeply into the demon's side. The Sand demon cried out in pain. "Now's your chance squirt," Gamabunta roared, as Shukaku squirmed underneath him. (Guillotine Drop).

Naruto nodded and he leapt off Gamabunta's head onto Shukaku's head. He raced across the giant tanuki's body toward Gaara who was in-between the demon's eyes. "All right you crazy monster, it's time for Gaara to wake up and send you back," Naruto shouted as he made several hand signs and called out, "**Futon: Rendukan!**" The ball of compressed chakra struck a sand shield that has swirled into existence in front of Gaara protecting him from the attack. Naruto frowned as he landed feet from Gaara. Forcing more chakra into his legs, Naruto launched himself toward Gaara, who created two streams of sand that caught Naruto a foot from the redhead.

"That's enough," Naruto cried as he reared back and head butted Gaara as hard as he could. Blood started trickling down both of their foreheads, a massive crater appeared behind Gaara. Slowly, Shukaku dissolved into sand and the two genin crashed into the treetops. Gamabunta groaned as he got to his feet and looked down at the two fighters.

"You're on your own for now Naruto, good luck," Gamabunta said before he dispelled into smoke.

"Thanks Toad Boss," Naruto said before looking over at Gaara. "Look, we both know that we're out of chakra, so let's settle this. I have to stop you, I won't let you hurt anymore of my precious people."

"I will not cease to exist," Gaara said. Both genin tensed then leapt into the sky, fists cocked to deliver the final blow.

SMACK!

The two genin crashed through the canopy and onto the forest floor, Gaara landing on his back, Naruto on his stomach. Naruto looked over at the Sand ninja, who was looking back at him. "It's over Gaara, you are done. I know that you've been alone for a long time but so have I. We're not so different but you can change."

"How are you so strong? You don't fight to prove your existence," Gaara said.

"I fight to protect my precious people from anyone trying to hurt them," Naruto said, his eyes becoming silted. "Even you, I will kill anyone who threatens them."

Suddenly two figures landed next to Gaara. It was his teammates, they saw Gaara lying on his back and looking completely exhausted. _'I've never seen Gaara look like this, he's had it,'_ Kankuro thought. He looked over at Naruto, who looked nearly as beat up. He reached for his equipment pouch but stopped when Sasuke appeared next to Naruto.

"That's enough Kankuro," Gaara whispered. "It's time to go."

The two Sand siblings looked at Gaara in shock, he had never spoken this softly to them, at least without the undercurrent of menace.

"Ok Gaara," Kankuro said, reaching down and helping Gaara to his feet and putting an arm around his shoulders. With a nod to Temari, the three Sand siblings leapt off into the forest, leaving Sasuke and Naruto behind.

"How's Sakura-chan?" Naruto groaned as he struggled to his feet.

"Don't know," Sasuke scoffed. "I left her where she was to come find you."

"What!" Naruto cried. He spun around to see the sand claw crumbling rapidly around Sakura, her body leaning forward as the support vanished. Forcing his screaming muscles to move, Naruto stumbled toward Sakura. The sand finally gave way and the unconscious girl tumbled toward the forest floor, crying out in pain Naruto launched himself toward the falling girl.

"Urgh!" Naruto cried out in pain as his back slammed into the tree trunk and Sakura landed in his lap with a thump. "What the hell Sasuke, why didn't you help her after Gaara was done, Sakura-chan could have been seriously hurt."

"So what, serves her right for not being strong enough," Sasuke scoffed. Naruto trembled in rage but his aching body wouldn't move again.

"There you are," a voice called out above Team 7. It was Kakashi.

"Kakashi-sensei, we need to get Sakura-chan to the hospital, she's barely breathing," Naruto cried, indicating the unconscious girl in his lap. Kakashi quickly created a **Kage Bunshin** and gently lifted Sakura up from Naruto. "Thanks sensei," Naruto smiled before passing out. Kakashi sighed before tossing Naruto over his shoulder before looking at Sasuke.

"What happened?" he asked but Sasuke just huffed and leapt off back toward the village. Kakashi sighed once again before leading his **Kage Bunshin** after Sasuke. _'Hopefully Naruto will be able to give me some answers when he wakes up,'_ Kakashi thought.

**A/N: Well I'm back for this installment of _Underneath the Underneath_, let me know what you think with plenty of reviews and other ideas. Hopefully this meets up to everyone's standards of the product that I've been producing, though I would like some ideas on how to improve my fighting writing.**

**Enjoy, Phoenixflame22**


	14. New Hokage, New set of rules

**Disclaimer: The world of _Naruto_ isn't mine, if it was Naruto wouldn't be just a three trick pony with Shadow Clones, Rasengan (plus variants) and Fox Mode. I mean come on. Neither is anything from the video game _Assassin's Creed, _though the new game looks awesome.**

"The sky weeps like the village," Naruto muttered as he walked alongside Sakura and Sasuke toward the Hokage Tower for the funerals of the dozens of ninja that had given their lives in defense of the village. Most notably of these heroes was the Sandiame Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who died when he sealed both the Shodaime and Nidaime Hokages by using the same sealing jutsu that Naruto's father used to seal the Kyuubi into Naruto. The Sandaime was able to seal Orochimaru's arms using the jutsu as well, but the Snake Sannin managed to escape with his life. Naruto felt the Kyuubi stir as he thought of the Hebi-teme. He vowed that the Hebi-teme would pay for what he had done.

Team Seven arrived at the Hokage Tower and was led up to the roof where the memorial was being held. Naruto saw most of the ninja core already there lined up in rows. Naruto found a spot at the front next to Konohamaru and Iruka. The younger boy was struggling to keep his tears from streaming down his face. Naruto knelt down next to Konohamaru and put his arm around the boy's shoulders.

"It's all right Kono, let it out," Naruto whispered. Konohamaru looked at his adoptive brother with large eyes before burying his face into Naruto's chest, his sobs muffled. Naruto gently rubbed Konohamaru's back as the younger boy's tears soaked his shirt. "It's all right, it's ok."

Many of the other ninja watched as the hated 'demon' brat comforted the 'Honorable Grandson' of the Hokage. They were confused; they were looking at the action of a human, not some demon.

"Thanks, Naruto-niichan," Konohamaru mumbled against Naruto's shirt.

"It's fine ototo," Naruto answered. "It's fine to cry in times like this but don't ever forget that we're here for you and that your grandfather loved you. He loved the whole village, and showed it by giving his life for it. What we need to do now, is not waste the precious gift that he has given to us."

"Very true Naruto," Iruka said. "Remember Konohamaru, those who die never truly leave us unless we let them. Always cherish the memory of your grandfather, hold on to it and live everyday of your life the way he wouldn't have wanted you too. Live for the future, not in the past. Remember those who came before us, but never forget to keep going forward."

Naruto smiled at his former Academy sensei, as did Konohamaru. "Thanks sensei," the younger boy said.

After the memorial had finished, Naruto found himself at the memorial stone, staring at the etched names of his parents.

"Hey Tou-san, Kaa-chan," Naruto muttered. "How's it going?" Naruto snorted at this. "I'm sure you know this already but we were attacked by the Sound and Sand, though Suna was tricked into attacking by Orochimaru. I'm sure Jiji has already told you all about this and I hope that you'd be proud of me for how I dealt with Gaara. I'm afraid that if it wasn't for Jiji and Iruka-sensei, I would have ended up just like him: angry, crazy, pretty much a killing machine. Hopefully, I got through to Gaara. No one deserves to be alone in his or her lives they just need someone to be there for them, acknowledge them, to tell them that they are not alone." Naruto took a deep breath and continued. "Tou-san, Kaa-chan, Jiji, I hope that you don't think badly of me for this, but I swear that that Hebi-teme will pay for what he did to you, Jiji, and the village. I know that revenge is never that answer but he's caused so much pain to my precious people, that he has to be stopped," Naruto said. "And I will stop him…I better get going, it's getting late. I'll be back soon enough, I love and miss you all."

The next morning Naruto was on his way to meet with his team as Kakashi had called them together to talk with them about their future missions.

"Hey gaki, there you are," a voice called out. It was Jiraiya. "I've been looking for you all morning."

"What do you want Ero-Sennin?" Naruto asked not looking around.

"I'm going out of the village on a mission and I want you to come with," Jiraiya said.

"What's the mission?" Naruto asked skeptically.

"I need to find my teammate, Tsunade," Jiraiya said. "Sensei named her in his will."

"Ok, when do we leave?"

"Tomorrow, meet me at the gate at 8am," Jiraiya said.

"Fine but you owe me some jutsus because I know that you're just going to run off and peep on women while we're outside the village."

Jiraiya frowned. "Deal, I'll teach you one of your father's jutsus while we look for Tsunade."

Naruto's eyes lit up but before he could say anything, Jiraiya vanished in a puff of smoke. Frowning, Naruto leapt off toward Training Ground 7. Sakura and Sasuke were already there, waiting for him, and Kakashi wasn't in sight.

"Hey Sakura-chan, Sasuke, any sign of Kakashi-sensei?" he asked. Sasuke just ignored him.

"No Naruto, though I'm not surprised," Sakura said. "It's sensei."

Naruto nodded.

"Say, Naruto, I just wanted to…um…"

"What's wrong Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, eyeing his teammate whose face was quickly turning red.

"I just wanted to thank you Naruto."

"For what?"

"Sasuke told me that it was you that save me from Gaara," Sakura whispered, a fierce blush covering her entire face now, matching her hair. "And I wanted to say thank you." Naruto froze as Sakura leant forward and quickly kissed his cheek. Both Naruto and Sakura's faces bloomed into spectacular blushes. Sasuke was watching and frowned as something stirred in his chest.

"It's fine Sakura-chan, you're one of my precious people and I promised that I wouldn't let you get hurt," Naruto said. "But I failed, you still got hurt, I'm sorry Sakura-chan."

"No Naruto, you did as best you could. I made the decision to get involved in the fight," Sakura said. "You aren't in fault for me not being strong enough to help."

"You're plenty strong Sakura-chan, you faced off against Gaara even though you were scared, that's true strength," Naruto said. "You wanted to make sure that me and Sasuke were safe, you were trying to protect us. And you gave me the strength to beat Gaara, I didn't want him to hurt you or anyone else." Sakura's blush returned full force at the sincerity of Naruto's words. "Are you all right Sakura-chan? Your face is really red, are you sick?"

"Baka," Sakura cried as she punched Naruto in the back of the head, sending him crashing to the ground.

"Oww Sakura-chan, what was that for?" Naruto whined as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Gomen Naruto, you just surprised me there and I overreacted," Sakura apologized.

"Oh ok Sakura-chan, no permanent damage done," Naruto chuckled. "I probably shouldn't have gotten so close to you anyway, I'm sorry."

Before Sakura could respond, Sasuke interrupted. "Dobe, teach me that jutsu that you used against Gaara!" he demanded. "That ball of chakra one."

Sakura looked at Naruto, whose face had grown stony and cold. It was extremely noticeable in his eyes; they had changed from bright blue to cold, stormy and steely.

"Hell no teme, that jutsu is a family jutsu," Naruto said forcefully. "It would be like me asking you to teach me those Uchiha **Katon** jutsus."

"Never, those are my family's jutsus," Sasuke shouted. "It doesn't matter about you, I need that jutsu to kill _that man_."

"No Sasuke, I will not teach you my family's jutsus and don't even think of trying to go whining to the Council. You might be their golden boy, but they won't go against the clans' laws about jutsus."

"Dobe, you don't have a family! Now teach me that…" Sasuke froze as Naruto emitted a truly monstrous KI at the Uchiha. Sasuke dropped to his knees as the pressure increased rolling off of Naruto in waves. Sakura was struggling to breathe under the KI but as Naruto was focused on Sasuke, she wasn't receiving a full dose.

"I believe we have already had this discussion," Naruto growled, his eyes glowing with rage. "I might not have a family right now, but that doesn't mean I didn't at one point just like you did. Now I will not teach you my family's jutsus."

"What's going on here?" Kakashi cried as he suddenly appeared in front of the team.

"Sasuke was trying to get Naruto to teach him a family jutsu and when Naruto said no, Sasuke taunted him about not having a family," Sakura quickly explained. Kakashi looked over at the two male members of his team. Naruto had cut off his KI the moment that Kakashi had showed up. Sasuke was struggling to his feet, and sweat was pouring off his face. Kakashi hid a grin at the Uchiha, inwardly praising Naruto for putting Sasuke in his place.

"Look, we don't have time for this," Kakashi said. "Our team is going to be broken up for some time since we don't have enough senior ninja to take the higher-ranking missions that the village receives, so I'm going to be away for a while and we won't be taking many missions. The village can't turn these missions away because it would make us look weak and other villages could take advantage."

"Is that all sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Yes Naruto, though Sasuke, you and I need to have a talk," Kakashi said flatly, looking down at the dark-haired boy with a steely eye. He put his hand on Sasuke's shoulder and the pair vanished in a swirl of leaves.

"Hopefully sensei can get through to Sasuke," Sakura said softly.

"I don't know Sakura-chan, Sasuke is getting darker and darker, and I don't know if anyone can get through to him," Naruto said. "Oh, I just remembered. I'm leaving the village tomorrow on a mission with Ero-Sennin, we're supposed to go find this Tsunade woman and bring her back to the village."

"Tsunade of the Sannin, the greatest medical ninja of all time," Sakura gushed. "Wow Naruto, she's like one of the greatest kunoichi in history. Maybe I could become a medical ninja, I'm not the best fighter and I don't have that much chakra but if I could use medical ninjutsu I wouldn't feel like such deadweight when we're on missions."

"Come on Sakura-chan, don't be like that," Naruto said. "You're plenty strong but if you want to be a medical ninja, go for it. I'm sure you'll become the best one there is."

Sakura blushed. "Thank you Naruto…who's Ero-Sennin?" she asked.

"He's this white-haired old man with red stripes on his face and wears this really weird costume," Naruto said. "I think his actual name is Jiraiya."

"Jiraiya! Of the Sannin, Naruto what are you doing calling one of the strongest ninja in the village something like that?" Sakura scolded.

"But Sakura-chan, he's a huge pervert," Naruto whined. "He admitted it when I first met him before the Finals. He calls himself a 'super pervert'! He's the one who wrote those books that Kakashi-sensei allows reads."

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "Oh really, well then Naruto, you better not come back and be a pervert yourself, or I will have to hurt you," she said with a sweet smile that sent shivers up Naruto's spine.

"Hai Sakura-chan," Naruto said.

The next day Naruto was waiting for Jiraiya at the main gates. '_Where is Ero-Sennin? He said to meet here at 8am, he's probably gone off and peeping at the hot springs. Why do I even bother with him, even if he's my godfather?_'

"What you looking for gaki?" a voice asked from behind Naruto.

"KUSO!" Naruto cursed as he leapt into the air and spun around, a kunai appearing in his hand. It was Jiraiya, who was looking down at him with a smug and amused grin. "Damn you Ero-Sennin, what was that for?"

"Just seeing if you were paying attention, a ninja must always be aware of his surroundings," Jiraiya lectured. "Now come on, let's get moving. We're burning daylight."

"So where are we going to look for this Tsunade?" Naruto asked as they walked down the path leading away from the village.

"Well, she is a big gambler, and my contacts have heard of a woman who's been hitting it big in Tanzaku Town, so we'll check there first."

"Fine, now what's that jutsu of my father's that you're going to teach me?" Naruto asked.

"Behold," Jiraiya said. He stuck out his hand and a swirling ball of chakra appeared. Jiraiya gave Naruto a smug grin but that grin vanished when Naruto looked unimpressed. "What gives gaki? I just show you an awesome…" Jiraiya trailed off as Naruto created his own **Rasengan**. "What the!"

"I learned the **Rasengan** before the Chunnin Exams, I found it in my dad's scrolls and have been working on it since my mission to the Wave," Naruto said. "So is that all you have to show me, if it is then I'm heading back to the village."

"Now hold on gaki, I have some jutsu scrolls that you can have," Jiraiya said. "I was planning on teaching you the **Rasengan** on this trip but since that's a moot point, you can use this trip as some more worldly experience outside the village." Jiraiya tossed Naruto two scrolls. "Those are a **Futon** and a **Raiton** scroll, I don't know any **Suiton** jutsus but I'm sure that when we get back, you can talk to Kakashi about some."

Naruto just opened the **Futon** scroll and began reading it, ignoring the older man. It took the pair a day and a half to reach the gambling center of Tanzaku Town. Jiraiya had Naruto rent a room for the pair of them at a local motel before jetting off in search of his teammate. Naruto went to the nearby forest to train his new jutsus. As night began to fall, Jiraiya appeared and the pair went off to get some dinner.

"So did you find her?" Naruto asked as the pair of Konoha shinobi made their way down Tanzaku's main street.

"Not yet, I have a feeling that she's here in town," Jiraiya said.

"What does Tsunade look like?" Naruto asked.

"Well, if my information is correct, the disguise she's using is of a 20-25 year old woman, with blonde hair and a diamond shaped tattoo on her forehead," Jiraiya said. "She's probably traveling with her assistant Shizune, who's roughly the same age as Tsunade's disguise with black hair and eyes, and she carries a pig that has a pearl necklace."

"You mean like that," Naruto said pointing across the street to an open bar, where two women were sitting in a booth. One had golden blonde hair and the other dark hair and was holding a squirming pig in her arms. Jiraiya's eyes almost fell out of their sockets as he stared at the pair of women.

"Tsunade!" the Sannin called out as he rushed across the street to the bar. The blonde-haired woman looked up and Naruto saw her eyes widen.

"Jiraiya!" the woman shouted. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"What, can't an old teammate show up out of the blue to see you," Jiraiya said.

"Don't give me that excuse you old fool," Tsunade snapped. "Now what are you doing here?"

"You've been recalled back to the village, sensei was killed and you were named in his will," Jiraiya said. "And he named you his successor." Tsunade's eyes widened slightly, as her assistant gasped.

"Forget it, I swore that I'd never set foot in that _place_ again," Tsunade growled.

"So you're just a coward then?" Naruto asked, stunning Tsunade, Shizune and Jiraiya.

"What did you say brat?" Tsunade snarled.

"You heard me, I read all about you," Naruto said. "You've been running your entire life, I'm sorry your brother and boyfriend died buy that doesn't give you an excuse for being a coward."

"I dare you to say that again," Tsunade growled, grabbing the front of Naruto's jacket.

"You're a coward, just running away from your problems," Naruto said, calmly looking into Tsunade's furious eyes. "You think that just because you've lost someone close to you gives you the right to run away. Jiji wanted you to come home, though I don't know why he would want a coward like you to come back to the village."

"That's it, I don't have to take this from a brat like you," Tsunade snapped. "Let's take this outside."

"Tsunade, you do know who this is don't you?" Jiraiya asked.

"No, and I don't care. He could be Kami himself, no one calls me a coward," Tsunade snarled.

"Let's go then, let's see how strong Tsunade of the Sannin really is?" Naruto said, getting up from his seat and walking out to the street. Tsunade followed him with Shizune and Jiraiya following close behind. The street was empty as Naruto stood roughly twenty feet from Tsunade.

"I can't believe I'm even doing this," Tsunade scoffed. "You're just a punk, one finger is all I'm going to need," she said raising a single finger.

"We'll see," Naruto said softly. "Kai!" Naruto suddenly vanished from Tsunade's vision. "Looking for me," a voice whispered behind her. Tsunade whirled around but no one was there. "How can you think of beating me with a single finger, if you can't even see me?"

"Show yourself you little brat!" Tsunade shouted. She reared a fist back and punched the ground in front of her, shattering it and creating a massive fissure.

"So you have some massive strength, that's it?" Naruto's voice mocked from around the female Sannin. "Let's see how you handle this."

Tsunade whirled around in time to see Naruto standing behind her, holding a swirling ball of blue chakra.

"**RASENGAN!**" Naruto roared, throwing his arm forward toward Tsunade. She quickly leapt backward just as Naruto slammed the ball of chakra into the ground where her feet had been a second earlier.

"Jiraiya, what the hell were you thinking teaching him the **Rasengan**!" Tsunade cried, pointing an accusatory finger at her former teammate.

"It's his heritage and I didn't teach it to him, he learned it on his own," Jiraiya said. Tsunade spun around looking at Naruto in shock.

"I know everything _daibo_ (Godmother)," Naruto growled. "Who my parents were, what my father did, who my godparents are. At least Ero-Sennin had a legitimate excuse to be absent, what about you?" Naruto accused. Tsunade flinched, while Shizune looked at her master in shock. "Come on Ero-Sennin, let's go. She's obviously too much of a coward to face her problems and come home."

"Stop calling me that gaki," Jiraiya growled. "Well, Tsunade, you have a week to decide what you'll do. And know that if you don't decide to come back, the next Hokage might just name you and Shizune nuke-nin and send hunters after you."

Jiraiya and Naruto walked off, leaving Tsunade standing in the middle of the street shivering with Shizune looking at her master in stunned confusion.

"Where are you going gaki?" Jiraiya asked the next morning as Naruto made to leave their motel room.

"I'm going back to that forest to train," Naruto answered. "Just because this mission is a failure doesn't mean I can't do some training." The blonde vanished out the window leaving Jiraiya watching with an arched eyebrow.

Naruto made his way to the clearing that he had found the previous day while training. He created 50 clones and had each work on one of the jutsus from the scrolls that Jiraiya had given him. Each hour Naruto would dispel the clones, take a 30-minute break before starting over. It was nearly dark when Naruto decided it was time to head back to the motel.

"What do we have here?" a voice chuckled from the treetops as Naruto neared the edge of the forest. Naruto looked up to see two men, wearing black cloaks with red clouds on them. The taller one also had something wrapped in bandages on his back with what looked like a sword hilt sticking over his shoulder.

"Hello there Naruto-kun, you're going to have to come with us now," the shorter man said, his voice emotionless. The mad lifted his straw hat to revel two glowing red eyes with three blacks spots in them.

'_The Sharingan!_' Naruto realized. "Who are you two?" he asked, trying to stall for time.

"Who we are doesn't matter Naruto-kun, come along quietly," the red-eyed man said softly.

"Oh come Itachi, let me cut his legs off," the taller man said. He reached up to his back and grasped the sword hilt. "Leader-sama says all we need to do is bring him in alive, and besides if he doesn't have legs, the brat can't run away."

"No Kisame," Itachi said. Naruto's eyes widened. '_This is Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke's older brother and the man who killed his own clan,_' Naruto thought. '_I've got to get out of here, I can't fight Itachi, let alone whoever this blue faced guy is._'

"Sorry but my parents told me never to go anywhere with strangers," Naruto said. "And besides, I don't want to go anywhere with you _Weasel-san_," Naruto added. Itachi's eyes widened slightly.

"I see Naruto-kun, you do recognize me," Itachi said with a miniscule smile. "However, you still need to come with us."

"I don't believe that you went all crazy and killed your clan just to gain more power Itachi, so I'm thinking you were forced to do it whether it be because you were ordered too or something happened that made you do it. I don't think Jiji would have given an order to wipe out an entire clan unless he had no other choice, or someone else went over Jiji's head."

"Itachi, let's just get the gaki, he's obviously trying to stall us," Kisame barked as Itachi was starring at Naruto. "That's it!" Kisame pulled his sword from his back and swiped it at Naruto, who leapt backward though he felt something pull at him as he pushed his chakra into his legs to jump away.

"You're not getting away that easily gaki," Kisame chuckled darkly.

"**Tajuu Kage Bunshin!**" Naruto cried and suddenly the clearing was filled with Narutos.

"Kisame, he's trying to confuse us," Itachi barked. "We have to get rid of these clones quickly or he's going to escape."

"Right. **Suiton: Tsunami Bakufuu!**" Kisame shouted. (**Water Release: Tidal Wave Blast**). A massive amount of water spewed from Kisame's mouth and built up into a giant wall of water that flooded the clearing, dispelling the clones. The water finally receded and Itachi and Kisame looked around to see that Naruto was nowhere in sight.

"Kisame, we're retreating," Itachi ordered. Kisame looked ready to argue but stopped by a glance from Itachi. "Naruto-kun is less than a mile from the town. By the time we catch him Jiraiya will have found him. We can't fight one of the Sannin, least of all Jiraiya."

"There you are Ero-Sennin!" Naruto cried as he crashed into motel that that pair had been staying at. "Care to tell me why Uchiha Itachi is after me?"

Jiraiya paled. "What?" he asked weakly.

"Itachi and this blue fish-like guy showed up as I was getting ready to come back and demanded that I come with them," Naruto said. "So care to tell me why an S-rank nuke nin is after me?"

Jiraiya sighed. "Come on Naruto, this information shouldn't be reveled where everyone can hear it," he said. The pair retreated to their room where Jiraiya set up several seals.

"Ok look, I didn't want to have to tell you this until you were ready but recently I've come into some information that there is a group of very powerful ninja out there that are attempting to gather all the biju," Jiraiya said. "Itachi is one of them, though I don't know what their purpose is. Also, the blue man, did he look like a shark?" Naruto nodded. "That's Hoshigaki Kisame, a former Swordsman of the Mist and an S-rank nuke nin in his own right."

"So they're after the fox," Naruto said. Jiraiya nodded.

"Orochimaru was once a member of this organization, called Akatsuki," Jiraiya said. Naruto's eyes narrowed at the name of the Snake-Sannin. "But fled after being beaten by Itachi."

"I'm going to kill that Hebi-teme one day," Naruto growled. "He's going to pay for what he did."

"Gaki, you're years away from even coming close to defeating Orochimaru, and besides," Jiraiya said, his face unusually serious. "Killing the snake is my job. Anyway, how in the hell did you get away from Itachi and Kisame?"

"I made a ton of **Kage Bunshin** and then scattered them to confuse them," Naruto said. "I got lucky that they underestimated me."

Jiraiya nodded. "You're right, you did get lucky to get away from them," he said. "While I don't think they'll try to get you again, from now on I'll be taking a closer look into your training."

"So how have you been coming with those new jutsus I taught you?" Jiraiya asked, four days later.

"What do you mean 'taught' me?" Naruto scoffed. "All you've done is given me two scrolls, I've had to learn everything for myself."

"Point but Naruto, you're not a kid anymore," Jiraiya said. "You get just get everything you want handed to you, you have to earn and learn for yourself." Naruto nodded at this, he didn't want to be like Sasuke just thinking everything must be given to him. "So how have they been coming?"

"Pretty good, I've nearly got them both down," Naruto said. "I actually have been wondering if you'd think it would be a good idea for me to get a weapon, like a sword. Maybe something I could channel my chakra through since I have wind and lighting as my elements?"

Jiraiya looked thoughtful. "You know, that's not that bad of an idea. Maybe a tanto or a ninjato, I think there's a weapons shop in town that you can check out. Go ahead and check that out, I'm going to find Tsunade."

Naruto nodded and leapt off into town. Jiraiya sighed as he headed into town. He had a feeling where Tsunade would be at this time of day, and made his way through the crowd to a local bar, where sure enough he spotted the golden-blonde head of Tsunade.

"You know, I remember once upon a time, you would have never touched a drop of sake," Jiraiya said as he sat down next to Tsunade.

Tsunade scoffed. "That was a long time ago," she muttered. "And you know why."

"Yeah, then I guess that the gaki was right," Jiraiya said. "We're both cowards." Tsunade looked at Jiraiya in shock. "We both made a promise to Minato and Kushina to look after Naruto but we failed. We both ran off to deal with our own problems and left Naruto to fend for himself in a village that despised and feared him for something that he didn't have any control over. I went after Orochimaru, thinking I could bring my best friend back, and you tried to drown your misery in sake and gambling."

Tsunade looked both angry and shamed. "You know why I can't go back there, after all that _place_ has taken from me," she whispered.

"You think you're the only one who has had someone special die before their time," Jiraiya growled. "I saw my student, who I thought of as a son, die alongside his wife, who I thought of as a daughter, well before their time. I watched as my best friend succumb to the darkness in his heart and then kill our sensei. I suppose you heard about the invasion a couple weeks ago." Tsunade nodded. "Orochimaru was the one who killed him, the snake used the **Edo Tensei** to revive your grandfather and grand-uncle. Sensei used the same jutsu that Minato used to sacrifice himself to stop them. The village is weak right now, Iwa has been looking for an opportunity like this ever since the end of the Third Great Ninja War, and I'm surprised that they haven't already made moves. Do you really want someone like Danzo to become Hokage?" Tsunade growled at the name of the bandaged Elder. "We need someone to take up the mantle."

"No, I already told you that I would never return to the village after what happened," Tsunade snapped. "What about you? You could become Hokage."

"Me," Jiraiya laughed. "No, I'm not suited for the hat, and besides with my spy network I can't stay in the village for long periods of time. And I don't have the pedigree either."

"I gave up that life long ago," Tsuande said.

"Then I guess Naruto was right, you are just running away from your problems. To think that the woman that I feel in love with is a coward," Jiraiya said as he stood up. Tsuande froze and slowly turned to face her teammate. "Arigato Hime, I hope that you find what you're looking for. And more importantly, I hope that you can live with your decisions."

Tsunade watched Jiraiya leave the bar without another word. When she lost sight of him, she turned back to her dish and was surprised to see several ripples in the sake dish. Then she realized that she was crying.

"Kabuto, have you found her?" Orochimaru hissed out of the darkness.

"Yes Orochimaru-sama, she's in Tanzaku Town," Kabuto said. "Though she's not alone. It seems that Konoha has some plan for Tsunade as well. Jiraiya is in town as well. Along with Naruto-kun."

"Interesting," Orochimaru hissed. "Though it is nothing you should concern yourself with, Tsuande will heal my arms as I know her weakness and just the thing to convince her."

"What will you do?"

"I will grant her fondest wish," Orochimaru cackled. The Snake's laughter filled the chamber, echoing all around the pair.

"What can I do for you young man?" an older man asked as Naruto entered Tanzaku Town's weapons shop. Naruto immediately sized up the man, who looked to be roughly the same age as Jiraiya but with brown hair and eyes, as well as a scar crossing the majority of his face. Naruto could tell that the man was a former ninja by the way he carried himself, graceful and aloof yet always alert.

"I'm looking for a weapon, possibly a sword or something similar," Naruto said. "I want something that my opponents wouldn't be expecting."

"Well, we have plenty of swords in all different forms, so why don't you take a look around and see if anything catches your eye," the man said. Naruto nodded and walked away from the counter in search of his weapon.

'_A sword would be cool and I would make sure it is able to channel chakra though it,_' Naruto thought. '_I don't know if a sword would work for me though, I'm fast and agile and I'm more of a close combat, in your face type of fighter. So a sword might not be the best, maybe something like claws. They would increase my reach and if I get them with the right metal they could channel chakra, that reach could be even more._'

Then out of the corner of his eye, Naruto spotted a pair of arm bracers of dark gray. They looked much like what Naruto had seen ANBU members wear whenever he caught them watching him or returning from missions. He walked over and picked up one of the bracers and slid it onto his forearm. The bracer was a little loose, though it had straps that would allow him to tighten the bracer to his forearm. **(A/N: Picture the forearm weapons from _Assassin's Creed_)**

"Oh I see that you found something," the weapon's smith said. "Now that's interesting, those have been around for a very long time and yet no one has even taken a glance at them for some reason."

"Why? They look like arm bracers that ANBU wear, shouldn't they be in the armor department?" Naruto asked.

"Normally, you'd be right but these are special," the man said. "They have a hidden blade in them that can be released from them to surprise your opponents."

Naruto's eyes widened as a twelve-inch blade shot out of the gauntlet. '_Awesome!_' Naruto thought. '_This could be want I'm looking for._' "How much?" he asked.

"For the pair, 70,000 ryo," the man said. Naruto blinked. '_That will nearly drain Gama-chan but then…_'

"Deal. I do have a question though," Naruto asked. "Are these blades able to conduct chakra?"

The weapons smith grinned. "No but the blades can be removed and replaced with ones that can. Though it will cost extra," he said.

"I think that I'll just take the gauntlets for now, I don't have enough to get the chakra conducting blades as well," Naruto said. The man nodded. Naruto pulled out his wallet and paid for the bracers before leaving the weapons store. He felt that he could get new blades for his new equipment back in Konoha. As he made his way back to the hotel, Naruto practiced releasing and retracting the blades as well as getting used to the new weight on his arms.

The next morning, Naruto showed Jiraiya his new acquisition to which the Sannin smirked and nodded. He then handed Naruto several more scrolls for Naruto to work on. Naruto created 100 clones and spilt them up into four groups; 25 working on the **Kage Shuriken Bunshin**, 25 working on **Raiton: Tenkakatto** (**Lighting Release: Lighting Cut**), 25 working on **Suiton: Kiriateru** (**Water Release: Slash**) and the final 25 were sent to work on **Futon: Shinkuukennai** (**Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere**). The original Naruto worked on using his new bracers and hidden blades in conjunction with his taijutsu style.

"So what are we going to do about the Old Hag?" Naruto asked as he took a break from training for lunch.

"Don't call her that," Jiraiya snapped before he sighed. "But I'm not sure."

"How long have you been in love with her?" Naruto asked.

"For as long as I can remember," the older man answered without hesitation. "But she never cared for me the way I do for her."

"Let me guess, she fawned over the cool, quiet genius and would blow you off anytime you tried to do something to impress her."

Jiraiya gave a dry chuckle. "No Tsunade didn't have those type of feelings for Orochimaru, but she did always compare me to him. And I never seemed to measure up."

"I know how that feels. Sakura-chan did the same between Sasuke-teme and me during the Academy and when we first became a team but I think she's starting to see him for what he is and has stopped comparing me to him."

The rest of the week passed without much incident, as Jiraiya met with Tsunade each night trying to convince her to return to the village but every night Tsunade would reject him and storm off with Shizune trailing after her.

"So now what are we going to do? We gave the Old Hag until today to make up her mind and she has just blown us off," Naruto said. "Are we going to head home now?"

"No, let me try one more time and then we'll head back to the village," Jiraiya said. "Come on, let's find her."

Suddenly an enormous explosion rent the air. Naruto and Jiraiya spun around and saw a pillar of smoke rising from the other side of the village. They looked at each other before leaping off. The scene that they came upon was one of destruction and fear. Tsunade and Shizune were starring down at two easily recognizable figures. Roughly fifty feet from the two women were Orochimaru and Kabuto. Naruto and Jiraiya watched as Orochimaru and Kabuto sped toward Tsunade and Shizune.

"**Kage Shuriken Bunshin!**" Naruto roared, throwing several shuriken between the two groups. The five shuriken multiplied into over one hundred. Orochimaru and Kabuto spilt apart and leapt backward to avoid the deadly hail of spiraling metal. Naruto and Jiraiya leapt down and landed next to Tsunade and Shizune.

"Nice job gaki," Jiraiya said, not taking his eyes from the two Sound ninja. "Looks like my training has been paying off."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Whatever Ero-Sennin." He turned to Tsunade and Shizune. "What the hell are you two doing talking with this Hebi-teme?" he asked. "Don't you know he was the one who attacked your home and killed the Sandiame?" Both Tsunade and Shizune flinched at this.

"Kukuku, well hello there Naruto-kun," Orochimaru hissed. "I see that you have grown since we last met."

"You look uglier than ever Hebi-teme, tell me how's your stomach after I hit you with that Rasengan?" Naruto taunted. "You've got a lot to answer for, you and your little boy-toy sidekick!" Jiraiya and Tsunade had to hide grins at Naruto's comments. "You do seem to like younger men, the four-eyed bastard and Sasuke-teme. Hey Kabuto, did Hebi-rorikon give you a nice hickey as well? Does he do that to all the boys he likes?"

Kabuto frowned at the blonde. "Now then Naruto-kun, what's with the face? Or are you all talk like at the Chunin Exams?" the glasses wearing man chided.

"Quiet you traitor, I thought that there was something _slimy_ about you back then," Naruto growled. "You knew too much to just be a genin. So how long have you been playing with Hebi-teme's kunai?"

Jiraiya snorted but then paled as a flash of Orochimaru and Kabuto playing with each other's kunai burst into his head. "Kuso gaki, don't even think about that," he shuddered.

"Orochimaru-sama is extremely wise and powerful, I am honored to be his subordinate," Kabuto said proudly.

"Whatever floats your boat, but unfortunately you are both traitors to Konoha and are going to die," Naruto snarled. "Especially you Hebi-teme, I'm going to make you pay for killing my grandfather."

"No gaki, both of these two are well out of your league. I know you're strong for your age but the snake is one of the Sannin, and four-eyes is equal to Kakashi," Jiraiya said. "The snake is mine, Tsunade, you and Shizune take Kabuto."

Naruto growled but stepped back. A sharp breeze flew across the area, almost as if nature itself was gearing up for battle. Suddenly Jiraiya surged forward with blinding speed and launched a devastating spin kick to Orochimaru's head. The Snake Sannin managed to duck under the kick but wasn't able to evade the snap kick that caught him in the chest sending him flying away. Kabuto dove toward Jiraiya, his hands glowing blue. However, Shizune appeared in front of him and spat several senbon needles at the gray-haired youth, forcing him to leap backward to avoid being hit.

"You're mine Orochimaru!" Jiraiya roared as he flew at his former teammate. Naruto watched in awe as the two Sannin did battle, even if Orochimaru was weakened due to the Sandaime's jutsu that took away his arms, the Snake Sannin was like a cockroach. He just seemed un-killable, able to evade any mortal blow that Jiraiya. A cry of pain brought Naruto out of his trance. He turned to see Kabuto standing over Shizune with a vicious and bloodthirsty grin on his face. Kabuto raised a curved kunai, ready to strike down and end the dark-haired woman's life. Tsunade was shivering not feet from her assistant; her face spattered with blood though it looked like it wasn't hers.

"ENOUGH!" Naruto roared. "KAI!" He released his gravity seals and sped off toward Kabuto.

CLANG!

The sound of metal slamming against metal rang through the clearing. Kabuto was stunned at the sight of Naruto suddenly appearing in front of him, blocking his kunai strike with a blade that had sprung from a gauntlet on Naruto's arm.

"Sorry you traitorous scum but I won't let you hurt anyone else," Naruto growled as he pushed Kabuto back. The older man disengaged and leapt back.

"Well Naruto-kun, those are some interesting weapons you have there?" Kabuto sneered. "But, do you have the ability to wield them in combat?"

"Time to find out," Naruto growled, flicking his wrist and deploying the left hand blade from its hidden sheath. "Back off four-eyes, I might not like the Old Hag (Tsunade's vein twitched) but jiji wanted her to become Hokage. Though I don't know why jiji would want a coward to succeed him but he had his reasons, so I can't let you hurt her."

"You're out of your league Naruto-kun, you'll never become Hokage if you die here."

"That doesn't matter. I live by my word, and I never go back on it. So I will not die before I become Hokage but if you think you can prove me wrong, bring it," Naruto growled.

"Silly Naruto-kun, throwing away your life so easily. Well if you're so willing to meet the Shimigami, I will oblige," Kabuto snarled, drawing another curved kunai.

"You first." Naruto vanished and Kabuto gasped in pain. Looking down he saw a thin blade sticking out of his stomach. Looking over his shoulder, Kabuto saw Naruto behind him with his right arm and hidden blade extended. "Enjoy Hell," Naruto whispered as he pulled the blade from Kabuto's back. Flicking the blade to clean it, Naruto sheathed the blade and began walking toward Tsunade and Shizune, both looked stunned at the ease and efficiency in which Naruto took down his opponent.

"Where are you going Naruto-kun, we're not done yet," a very smug voice chuckled from behind Naruto. The blonde spun around and saw Kabuto slowly get to his feet, holding his stomach, his hands glowing green. "Did you really think that you could kill me so easily?"

Naruto shuddered as flashbacks to the bridge in Nami came back to him, and the ease in which he cut down the thugs and mercenaries on Gatou's payroll. He still had nightmares about that day.

"How did you survive that? I know Naruto hit a vital point," Shizune asked.

"I'm not just useful to Orochimaru-sama as a spy but also for my medical ninjutsu and recuperative abilities," Kabuto gloated. "I can heal nearly any injury with enough chakra."

"I see, well then it seems I have to kick things up a notch," Naruto goaded, while inwardly sweating. '_Kuso, this is going to be much harder than I thought. I was hoping that that blow would kill him. I got lucky and he underestimated me like Itachi and fish-face but he won't anymore,_' Naruto thought. '_I need to finish this quick. Kabuto might not have as much chakra as I do but he's much more experienced and probably is holding back somewhat._'

Kabuto surged forward, a kunai extended in front of him. Slashing downward to end the fight quickly, the grey-haired youth was not surprised to find his strike blocked by a kunai of Naruto's. The older teen pushed down on the smaller teen, wanting to use his greater height and strength to force Naruto to submit.

"Naruto-kun, don't let him touch you," Shizune cried out. "He's using **Chakura no Mesa** (**Charka Scalpel**) technique."

"The what?" Naruto shouted back.

"It's a medical ninjutsu that doctors use in surgery but if one is skilled enough, the jutsu can be used in battle to attack an opponent's inner organs," Shizune explained.

"Correct," Kabuto laughed. "So what will you do now Naruto-kun?"

"This," Naruto answered. He leapt backward, made several hand signs and shouted out, "**Kage Shuriken Bunshin**!" Nearly one hundred shurikens appeared in mid air and streaked toward Kabuto. The Sound ninja suddenly sunk into the ground. Naruto landed and looked around for his opponent. "AH!" Naruto cried as he felt something grab his ankles, as well as he felt something snap in his legs. Turning around, Naruto saw Kabuto rising from the ground like a ghost.

"It's over Naruto-kun, I've cut all the tendons in both of your legs," Kabuto chuckled. "The fox inside you might be able to heal you, but it will be too late." The Sound ninja raised a hand, glowing, and stabbed Naruto in the back. The blonde haired boy's eyes widened and gasped. Shizune cried out, Tsunade looked on in shock as Naruto collapsed to the ground, clutching the back of his ankles.

"Naruto!" Tsunade cried out in horror.

"What do you want, you Old Hag?" a welcome and familiar voice asked from behind Kabuto. It was Naruto.

"**Kage Bunshin!**" Kabuto snarled as the 'Naruto' in front of him vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Some Kiri ninja tried the same trick during the Chunin Exams, and that's one of Kakashi-sensei's favorite maneuvers," Naruto answering the unasked question. A **Rasengan** formed in his hand, and Naruto surged forward, slamming the **Rasengan** into Kabuto's back. The Sound ninja cried out in shock and pain as he was sent flying away before he slammed into a boulder, leaving a large crater.

Silence reigned over the battlefield as Naruto panted. He had put as much chakra into that **Rasengan** as he could and still keep it stable, just like against Gaara, to insure that Kabuto was done for good. Jiraiya grinned at his student. '_Great job gaki,_' the white-haired Sannin. He then turned back to his opponent, who Jiraiya was happy to see was looking stunned.

'_How could that boy defeat Kabuto?_' Orochimaru thought as he looked at Naruto. '_This boy can't be allowed to survive, if he continues improving like this, he would become a very large threat to my plans. He must die even if the Akatsuki have plans for him._' Orochimaru launched himself from his perch, speeding toward Naruto who was still bent over trying to catch his breath.

"NO!" Jiraiya cried as he raced after Orochimaru. A sword extended from the Snake Sannin's mouth, dripping with something. Naruto looked up at Jiraiya's cry in time to see the sword plunge into his chest, sliding between his heart and lungs. Naruto coughed, blood flowing from his mouth as he stared into the yellow silted eyes of Orochimaru. Naruto looked down at the sword sticking out of his chest.

"So, this is the sword that killed jiji?" Naruto whispered.

Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with malice. "Why yes Naruto-kun," he hissed. "This was the weapon that killed Sarutobi-sensei, how appropriate that I use the same blade that killed Konoha's Hokage to kill Konoha's greatest weapon."

"I see," Naruto gasped. "Well then let me return the favor, using the jutsu that made my father Hokage instead of you. **Rasengan!**" Naruto roared, slamming the swirling blue ball of chakra into the side of Orochimaru's head.

"Naruto!" Jiraiya cried out as a large explosion consumed the pair. When the smoke finally cleared, Jiraiya rushed over to see Naruto's body lying in a crater, his chest barely moving as his clothes quickly became sodden with blood. "Tsunade!" Jiraiya shouted. "I need you to heal him quickly, he won't survive much longer."

"It's too late," a voice chuckled from across the crater. It was Orochimaru. "The poison in my blade will kill him before Tsunade even has a chance to use her medical ninjutsu."

"I wouldn't count Naruto out yet," Jiraiya snarled, still trying to comprehend the fact that Orochimaru was still alive after receiving a **Rasengan** point blank to the head. "How the hell are you still alive?"

"It was a close thing Jiraiya-kun but I have gone further than any towards the goal of immortality," Orochimaru gloated. Jiraiya then noticed that Orochimaru's face was different, it had seemingly torn to shreds and yet underneath it, a young woman's face leered out of Orochimaru's body.

"So you did it then, you completed _that_ jutsu," Jiraiya spat disgusted. "Tsunade, I need you to take care of Naruto while I finish this pathetic excuse of a man off."

"Oh Jiraiya-kun, I am much more than a man and soon, when I acquire the **Sharingan** I will perfect my technique and become immortal," Orochimaru laughed.

Shizune shivered at Orochimaru's laugh as she raced over to Naruto's body and immediately set to work. However almost instantly she knew that she wouldn't be able to heal everything in time to save Naruto. She turned to her master, who was trembling like a scared puppy and starring at the injured boy. "Tsunade-sama! I need your help, I can't stop the bleeding and extract the poison at the same time," she cried. However, her master didn't seem to recognize her plea. Growing frustrated at her non-responsive master, Shizune created a **Kage Bunshin** and sent it over to Tsunade.

SLAP!

The sound of 'Shizune's' hand connecting with Tsunade's face echoed across the battlefield. "Lady Tsunade, get a hold of yourself!" the clone shouted. "Shizune needs your help to heal Naruto-kun, or he will die! Stop sniveling like a little girl and help your assistant save the life of your GODSON!" Tsunade looked up at the Shizune clone with wide eyes. "You know, Naruto-kun was right. You are a coward; you think that just because you've lost someone close to you gives the right to act like a spoiled child. You think I don't miss my uncle every bit as you do and I'm sure right now, he would ashamed of you, as would your brother, grandfather and great-uncle. They gave their lives for the village and what they believed in, and you are tarnishing the sacrifice they made by acting this way."

Tsunade flinched at her assistant's words. The faces of her deceased fiancé, younger brother, grandfather and great-uncle flashed in front of her eyes, all looking disappointed in her and her running away from her problems and berating anyone who called her on it. "That's enough Shizune," Tsunade whispered, though her tone had an edge of command to it. The Shizune clone blinked before stepping back as her master rose to her feet and suddenly knocked 'her' aside, dispelling the clone, before racing over to the original Shizune and Naruto.

"What's the situation?" Tsunade demanded as she knelt down next to Shizune.

"Luckily the blade passed between his heart and lung but it seems that the poison from Orochimaru's blade is taking all of the Kyubi's energy to heal and because of that, it can't heal Naruto's other injuries."

Tsunade nodded. "All right, I'm going to start removing as much of the poison as I can while you heal the sword wound," Tsunade said. "Once I've removed as much of the poison as I can, I assume that the fox will start healing the gaki itself."

"Hai Tsunade-sama," Shizune answered before turning to her task. Both women's hands glowed green as they healed the blonde jinchuriki. Color slowly returned to Naruto as the bleeding slowed. "Tsunade-sama, I can handle things from here, go help Jiraiya-sama."

Tsunade nodded and took one final look down at Naruto. She reached up and unfastened her necklace and placed it around Naruto's neck. '_Please, let this time…_' Tsunade trailed off as she turned to the Sannin battle occurring between the perverted fool and the creepy and twisted genius of her team.

"It's time to end this!" Jiraiya roared. His hands flew through five hand signs before slamming his palm to the ground. "**Summoning Jutsu!**" There was a massive explosion of smoke and in its midst a enormous reddish-brown toad wearing a blue jacket appeared, Jiraiya standing atop its head. "Bunta, it's time we finish what sensei couldn't."

Gamabunta glared down at Orochimaru, hatred burning in the toad's eyes. "Right," the Toad Boss growled. He lifted a massive forearm and slammed it down at the Snake Sannin. However, Orochimaru proved himself worthy of the Snake Sannin title as he slithered out of harm's way. "Stay still you worm," Bunta snarled, again raising a forearm to crush the ninja.

"Orochimaru-sama," a weak and pained voice cried out. Looking over, Jiraiya was stunned to see that Kabuto was once again standing, while cradling his stomach in obvious pain. Orochimaru leapt over to his henchman, Kabuto gathered some of his blood from his mouth and swiped it across a tattoo on Orochimaru's forearm before shouting, "**Summoning Jutsu!**"

An enormous purple snake appeared across from Bunta and when it saw the massive toad, it hissed angrily. "Orochimaru, why have you summoned me? You know that I hate being summoned?" the massive snake snarled.

"Shizune, stay here with Naruto and watch over him," Tsunade ordered.

"Of course milady, where will you go?" Shizune asked.

"I think its time that the Sannin were reduced to just two," Tsunade snarled, cracking her knuckles. She bit her thumb, swiped it across her palm and slammed it to the ground. "**Summoning Jutsu!**" A slug equal in size to the toad and snake before it appeared.

"Hello there Katsuyu," Bunta grunted as he drew his blade not taking his eyes from the massive snake that Orochimaru and Kabuto were standing upon. "It seems that we're all together once again, however this will be the last time," Bunta growled, pointing his sword at the giant snake.

"Orochimaru, you are no longer fit to be called a Sannin," Jiraiya shouted. "After today, there will be only two Sannin left in this world."

"As the Godaime Hokage, you are both sentenced to death for the murder of the Sandiame as well as facilitating the attack of Konoha," Tsunade announced. Jiraiya looked over at his teammate with a grin.

"So, we finally wore you down?" he quipped.

Tsunade snorted. "As if, but that boy has shown me that I have been a coward and that my family would be ashamed of how I have been acting these past years," she said heavily. "But now, I will bet my life in defense of the Leaf and on the next generation of ninja."

Shizune watched in awe as her master, Jiraiya and their summons battled and battered Orochimaru to the brink of death but somehow the Snake Sannin had merged himself to another body and was able to slither away with his subordinate. Jiraiya and Tsunade dispelled their summons before approaching Shizune with a still unconscious Naruto. **A/N: The fight between the Sannin is the same as the anime, I thought it was a really good fight and why mess with success.**

"WHAT!" Naruto cried. "She actually agreed to become Hokage!"

Tsunade gave Naruto a smug grin across the bar table. "That's right squirt, once we get back to the village, you'll have to start calling me Hokage-sama," she said.

"Like that will ever happen, I'll obey your orders as Hokage but you are nothing like the old man," Naruto said. "I mean he wasn't a gambling addict who hid her true age and has a quick temper. I mean Ero-Sennin, do you really think she's up for the job?"

Tsunade's grin slid off her face in an instant. "What did you say your brat?" she growled, a vein popping up on her forehead.

"Come now Tsunade-sama, let's just order and eat so we can head back to the village," Shizune pleaded.

"Let's take this outside you brat," Tsunade snapped. "I'll show you to disrespect me."

"Fine then you old hag," Naruto shot back. Shizune and Jiraiya sighed and followed the two blondes out of the restaurant and into the street. They stood roughly 10 meters apart, glaring at each other, though both seemed relaxed and alert.

"Come on kid, this is pointless," Tsunade scoffed. "I'm the Hokage of Konoha, this is beneath me, fighting a snot-nosed genin. I'll only need one finger to finish this."

Naruto narrowed his eyes before pulling a kunai out of his holster and charging toward Tsunade. Tsunade ducked under the strike and flicked her finger, knocking Naruto back ten feet as well as sending his forehead protector flying into the air. Before Naruto could recover, Tsunade was on him, her finger cocked for another flick. But instead of a super-powered finger flick, Naruto felt something warm press against his forehead. Opening his eyes, he saw that Tsunade had given him a brief kiss to his exposed forehead. He blushed; it was only the second time someone had ever kissed him. His blush increased significantly when Tsunade said, "Grow up and become a good man and a brilliant Hokage."

"Hai," Naruto stammered, trying to comprehend the fact that Tsunade had acknowledged his dream and strength.

**A/N: Hey everyone, well here's the newest chapter of _Underneath the Underneath_ hope you all enjoy. There will be only 3 or 4 more chapters of this story. There will be a sequel that will cover _Shippuden_ but I'm wondering if I should do a series of one-shots about Naruto's training with Jiraiya, also I'm trying to decide if Naruto should learn the _Hirashin_ during the training trip. I'll be putting a poll up on my profile in the next few days so please check it out and give me your thoughts. Also please review, any constructive advice is always welcome.**

**Thanks**

**SRWMO**


	15. Whitewash

**Disclaimer: _Naruto_ isn't mine, I'm just having some fun in his universe. Hopefully I don't mess it up that much.**

The return of Tsunade was met with much fanfare in the village. The Elders were waiting as the group approached the Village, along with much of the village ninja and some of the higher-up civilians. Naruto noticed that some of the civilians were looking angry at Tsunade's arrival; he also caught a narrowing of the bandaged Elder's single visible eye, as if the man was disappointed that they had found Tsunade.

The first couple of weeks that followed Tsunade's return to the village and taking up of the Hokage mantle was filled with clean up of the village after the invasion as well Tsunade healing Sasuke and Kakashi, who had been attacked by Itachi and Kisame before they found Naruto in Tanzaku. Sakura had been pestering Tsunade to teach her after seeing the legendary medical ninja in action by healing Sasuke and Kakashi. Tsunade decided to give the pink-haired girl a shot by taking her under her wing, as Kakashi got back up to speed. However, Sasuke, after getting out of the hospital, hearing that both of his teammates were being taught by two of the Legendary Sannin was furious.

Sasuke's rage reached new levels when Tsunade announced the promotions of Shikamaru and Naruto to chunnin. He, and much of the civilian council, was furious that the 'demon brat' was promoted while Sasuke wasn't, and they made their thoughts known. However, Tsunade shot them down by reminding them that they were in a _ninja_ village and the civilian council had no power over ninja business. She also reminded the council that Naruto won his match, as well as defeated Suna's jinchuriki during the invasion. This stunned the ninja council as many had heard the rumors that had been flying around the village that it was Sasuke who beat Gaara during the invasion.

The next several months following the invasion and Tsunade's return was a trying time for Team 7 as Naruto was pulled away from the team due to his promotion and he was sent on patrol missions as well as a courier for the Hokage. But when Naruto was with Team 7, Kakashi had the blonde as second-in-command of the team, meaning that Naruto would be in charge of the team if Kakashi were to be separated from the younger ninja. This didn't sit very well with Sasuke, and the Uchiha showed this by following Naruto's orders with the highest contempt.

One day three months after Tsunade's return, Team 7 was called to the Hokage's office for a mission. When the quartet arrived, they were surprised to see that Teams 8 and 10, as well as Team Gai were there as well.

"Baa-chan, what's going on?" Naruto asked as he entered the office, much to the shock of the gathered shinobi. Tsunade growled at the younger blonde but didn't respond. She turned to the assembled jounin.

"I've brought all of you here because you have a joint mission," Tsunade announced. An older man with dark hair and glasses stepped forward from beside Tsunade's desk. "This is Sandayu, he is the manager for Yuki Fujikaze, the actress who portrays Princess Gale. He has asked our help in guarding the actress and the film crew while they film in Yukigakure."

Sandayu bowed to the assembled ninja. "Thank you very much, we have been receiving several threats toward the actress, more than what would be normal stalkers or obsessed fans."

"Sandayu, if you would excuse us," Tsunade said. "I need to go over some details for the mission." The older man nodded and left the office.

"Hokage-sama, surely only one team would be needed for a basic bodyguard mission, maybe two with the high status of the client," Kakashi said. "But not four teams."

"Normally, you'd be right Kakashi, but there's something that Sandayu isn't telling us," Tsunade said. "Thanks to Jiraiya's network, we've learned that the Daimyo of Yukigakure is selling arms and armor to Orochimaru." A cold breeze filtered through the office. "We can't let this continue, also we have reason to believe that Sandayu is the head of the resistance in Yukigakure and that Yuki Fujikaze isn't who she seems. She's Princess Koyuki Kazahana, the daughter of the former Daimyo and the rightful heir to the throne."

Kakashi froze. "Is this true?" he whispered.

"Kakashi-sensei, what's wrong?" Sakura asked. But Kakashi just shook his head.

"We think that Sandayu is trying to have Koyuki brought back to Yukigakure to help overthrow her uncle, Doto," Tsuande said. "That's why I'm sending all of you. There's a good chance that Doto's forces will attack. So your mission is two-fold; first, protect Yuki and the film crew while they finish filming. And second, is to stop Doto from dealing with Orochimaru by any means necessary."

The jounin's eyes widened at this order. "Hokage-sama, are you sure about this? This mission seems more suited to a team of jounin or even ANBU," Asuma asked.

"You may be right but Sandayu is giving us this chance and you can be sure that Orochimaru will have spies in Yukigakure. And if they report that a team of jounin or ANBU being sighted, they'll tell Doto and the element of surprise will be lost. Now, you are all dismissed. Meet Sandayu at the East gate in one hour."

"Hai Hokage-sama," the Konoha ninja said before leaving the office.

"Yuki's run off again!" the director's assistant cried as the Konoha teams arrived at the East gate. "When she learned that we were leaving for the Land of Snow to finish shooting, she took off."

Kakashi turned to the others. "All right, she can't have gotten far. Spilt up and find her and bring her back," he ordered.

"Don't bother, I know where she is," Naruto spoke up.

"What do you mean dobe?" Kiba barked. Naruto ignored the insult. He turned to the jounin.

"I planted a chakra tag on her earlier," Naruto said. "It's similar to the Yondaime's special seals, if I focus my chakra, I can find the tag easily enough. I thought that after our last major mission, that with this tag, we could find our client if we got separated."

"That's brilliant Naruto-kun," Gai cried. "Your flames of youth are overflowing."

"Nice job Naruto," Kakashi grinned behind his mask, smirking at the stunned looks on Kurenai and Asuma's faces. "Lead the way."

Naruto nodded and leapt off toward the center of the village with Kakashi following behind. Naruto led his sensei to a bar in the entertainment sector of the village. "She's inside," Naruto said. Kakashi nodded and walked inside. The silver-haired jounin walked out of the bar five minutes later with Yuki over his shoulder.

"She's just under a genjutsu that put her to sleep," Kakashi answered to Naruto's unasked question. "She should wake up in a couple of hours, we should be well on our way by then."

The pair caught up with the other Konoha ninja and the film crew just as they were getting ready to leave the village. Kakashi placed Yuki in her carriage, still asleep, and then rejoined his fellow jounin in time to hear Kiba and Ino berating Naruto for something.

"Come on, you can't believe that Naruto, the class dobe, could come up with something like that?" Kiba scoffed.

"Yeah, it's Naruto for Kami's sake!" Ino cried.

"Silence _GENIN_!" Kurenai and Asuma growled. "Naruto is a chunin, which means he's your superior! And that means he can have you suspended from the ninja force if you keep this up," Asuma snapped.

"Maybe if you two had worked half as hard as Naruto had, you wouldn't have lost in the preliminary matches," Kurenai said sharply. Both Kiba and Ino looked stunned that their jounin-senseis were siding with Naruto over them. Looking around, they saw that everyone else (except for Naruto, who was ignoring the spat, and Sasuke, who didn't care) was looking at the pair with disgust and anger.

"Such unyouthfulness," Gai muttered as he watched the pair of genin cringe under the looks of their senseis.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?" an enraged Yuki roared as she stormed out onto the deck of the ship.

"Ah I see you're awake," Kakashi chuckled.

"Yuki, I see that you are awake," Sandayu said. "Can I get you anything?"

"Yeah, you can get me off this ship!" Yuki cried. "I told you that I didn't want to go to the Land of Snow, but no, you kidnap me!"

"I apologize for the unorthodox travel arrangements," Kakashi said. "But you didn't leave us much choice."

"And besides, you are under contract to finish this film," the director barked, glaring at his star actress.

"Fine but once we're done filming, I'm gone," Yuki growled. She then stormed back into her cabin, slamming the door behind her.

"Well, she's a piece of work," Naruto muttered. He turned to Sandayu. "Why do you work for her if she treats you like this?"

"I've known Yuki for a very long time, she wasn't always like this," Sandayu said. "When she was a child, she was very sweet and happy, talking about how she wanted to be a princess and an actress."

"Iceberg ahead!" a crewmember cried out from the crow's nest. Naruto and the Konoha nin turned to see a massive iceberg bearing down on them. The captain turned to the director.

"What would you like to do? We can go around it, though it will take some time," the captain said.

"No, this iceberg is the perfect backdrop to shoot some scenes," the director cried. "If it's safe enough we will shoot several scenes." The captain nodded and called out orders to his crew. In quick time, the ship had been anchored next to the iceberg and the film crew had set up their equipment on the shore. Naruto sat with his teammates watching Yuki being made up and get into position for her scene. As the ninja watched the filming begin, Naruto was stunned at the change that came over the actress when the cameras were on.

"She's like a totally different person," Naruto commented watching the scene being played out in front of him. Sakura nodded next to him.

"Yes, Yuki has this amazing ability to act, to portray any emotion that she wants easily," Sandayu said. "It's only on camera does she truly let her true self shine through."

BOOM! Naruto's head snapped around in time to see an explosion rock the iceberg and cause an avalanche come speeding toward the film crew. Kakashi and the other jonin leapt into action immediately.

"Get back to the ship all of you now," Kakashi barked. Naruto looked up at the top of the iceberg and spied several ninja, all wearing the symbol of Yukigakure. "We'll handle these guys while Naruto, you and the others get the crew and Yuki back to the ship."

"Hai sensei," Naruto snapped. He turned to his classmates. "You heard Kakashi-sensei, round everyone up, I'll cover you. **Taju Kage Bunshin!**" Naruto barked. Two dozen appeared around Naruto. Sakura, Shikamaru, Shino, Choji and Hinata leapt into action, while Ino and Kiba looked stunned at Naruto taking command, Sasuke just grunted and readied himself for battle. "Kiba, Ino, Sasuke, get your asses in gear or so help me!" Naruto growled as his clones fended off several Yuki ninja that had come close to members of the film crew. Kiba and Ino shook themselves out of their stupor and raced off to join the others gathering the crew, Sasuke just growled and leapt off to engage the enemy.

"That idiot," Naruto snarled as he deflected two kunai with one of his own. _'I need to end this quickly and help the others, my clones are being decimated,'_ Naruto thought. "Kai!" he barked. The gravity seal on his chest released itself, Naruto sighed, as he felt free and so much lighter. "Let's go!" He blurred out of sight before reappearing in front of a Yuki nin who was about to strike down Hinata.

"Urk!" the ninja gargled as Naruto slashed him across the throat with his hidden blade.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata gasped as her opponent collapsed.

"Hinata, go help Sakura and the others guard the boat," Naruto ordered. "Your Byakugan is perfect for making sure we don't get ambushed, and your Gentle Fist is great for close combat protection. Now go!"

"Hai!" Hinata yelped as she leapt off toward the boat.

"You aren't getting away that easily," a Yuki ninja shouted as he chased after Hinata.

"Neither are you," Naruto growled as he appeared behind the ninja and slashed him across the back. A cry of pain alerted Naruto to another fight. He turned to see Choji leap backward away from his opponent, clutching his arm, which was bleeding badly. "Choji!" Naruto cried. He sped off toward the Akimichi heir. "**Rasengan!**" Naruto roared, slamming the swirling ball of chakra into the enemy ninja's back. The ninja cried out in pain and shock as he was propelled away from Choji.

"Thanks Naruto," Choji gasped as he tried to stem the bleeding.

"No problem Choji, get back to the ship and have Sakura fix you up," Naruto ordered. Choji nodded and leapt off toward the ship.

"Naruto, get back to the ship," Kakashi shouted as he ducked under a spinning kick from his opponent. Kakashi slashed at the armor wearing ninja but the man just leapt back and began making hand signs.

"**Hyoton: Haryu Moko!**"

A large tiger made of ice charged toward the Konoha ninja, it's eyes glowing yellow. Kakashi quickly created his signature jutsu and dispatched the ice tiger. By this time, the genin had gotten all of the crew back to the ship. Kakashi and his fellow jonin joined them. "Asuma, give us some wind," Kakashi ordered. Asuma nodded and quickly used a wind jutsu to create a gust strong enough to guide the ship away from the iceberg. The enemy watched from the receding iceberg as the ship vanished into the distance.

On the ship, Naruto was trying to burn off the adrenaline from the battle. Around him, his classmates were doing the same. Sakura had pulled Choji and Kiba aside to patch them up (and berate them for getting injured in the first place), Shikamaru had settled down at the prow of the ship and was watching the clouds slide by. Ino was alternating between glaring at Sakura and fawning over Sasuke, who was just brooding against the mast. Hinata was helping Sakura while Team Gai was talking amongst themselves.

"Shut up Sasuke!" Sakura snapped as she heard the Uchiha scoff once more as she changed the bandages on Choji's arm.

"Whatever, those two weaklings got hurt," Sasuke sneered. "I can't believe they even think that they can stand up to me, an Uchiha. I took on twice as many of those Snow ninja and didn't get a scratch."

"And you also ignored orders from your superior," Kakashi snapped. "Naruto told you to help get the film crew back to the ship, you deliberately disobeyed those orders and ran off half-cocked."

"The dobe doesn't order me around, I'm an Uchiha, an elite," Sasuke growled. "He's just a clanless orphan that no one cares about!"

A stunned silence fell over the ship at this. Many heads turned to Naruto who was sitting on the railing looking out over the ocean, they saw him stiffen and grip the railing tightly at Sasuke's comment but he didn't turn around. The jonin stared at Sasuke with looks of utter contempt while the genin looked at the Uchiha heir in shocked amazement.

"_Uchiha_," Kakashi barked. "Do you remember the conversation that we had during the Land of Waves?" he asked. The Uchiha just gave him a aloof glare. "Naruto has had a much harder life than any one of us, even you Sasuke. All you've done is whine about your brother or grumble about how you'll kill him. Well, for your information, Itachi was in a class of his own. Only the Hokage could have a chance against him when he left the village, and I'm sure that he's gotten even stronger since he left."

Sasuke snarled as his Sharingan flashed wildly. "I will kill Itachi!" he roared. "Nothing will stop me from achieving my goal!"

The rest of the trip passed under a heavy veil of tension, everyone treated Sasuke like a time bomb as if one word would set the boy off. The ship made port in the Land of Snow two days after the ambush and the crew quickly unpacked their equipment onto trucks and wagons. The film crew caravan slowly made their way from the port and deeper into the mountains that cradled the bay. They reach the cave pass that would take them through the mountains.

"Where's Yuki?" the assistant director shouted out. The Konoha ninja quickly leapt into action with the teams darting off into the forest around them.

"Naruto, can you track her?" Kakashi asked as Team 7 leapt through the forest. The blonde boy had closed his eyes and concentrated.

"Got her, about three hundred yards at our 2 o'clock," Naruto said. Kakashi nodded and the team sped off.

"There you are Yuki," Kakashi said as Team 7 surrounded the running actress/princess. "You know you shouldn't be making running away a habit."

Yuki glared up at Kakashi. "Go away, I swore that I would never return to this place!" she shouted.

"Get over yourself," Naruto barked. "All you have to do is shoot a movie and then you can run from your problems all you want though you'll never outrun yourself. Can you live with the fact that yourself if you keep running?"

Yuki flushed and looked down but shook her head. "No! I refuse to go back there!" she screamed. "I will never go back."

Suddenly an explosion alerted Team 7 to the ridge that the caravan had been stationed on. "Kuso!" Kakashi cursed. "Naruto grab Yuki, we need to get back to the others."

Naruto quickly created two clones and stunned Yuki before throwing her over its shoulder. Team 7 leapt off back toward the others. What they found was quickly becoming a massive battle. Bodies were strewn around the trucks and wagons; Snow ninja and film crew members, Team Gai was fending off a group of Snow ninja while the uninjured members of Teams 8 and 10 were guarding the film crew and Kiba and Choji, who were both still recovering from the earlier attack.

"**Taju Kage Bunshin**!" Naruto roared. A hundred clones appeared on the battlefield and swept into the fray, forcing the Snow ninja from the beleaguered Teams 8 and 10. "Shikamaru, Shino, get your teams together and round up the crew, get them back to the trucks! I'll cover you!" Naruto ordered. Shikamaru and Shino nodded and rounded up the others as the Snow ninja fell back under the onslaught of the Naruto clones. "Sasuke, stay with the others. They'll need you to cover them in case anyone gets by my clones."

Sasuke growled but nodded curtly and leapt off toward his fellow genin. Naruto turned back to the battle in time to see each of the Konoha jonin being engaged by five Snow ninja. Judging from the strain that Kakashi and the others were facing, Naruto realized that the reinforcements were strong, probably jonin-level. A shout of pain caught Naruto's attention; a massive man was towering over Kurenai, who was clutching an arm that was bleeding.

Naruto flashed across the plain just in time to intercept a fatal kunai strike from the massive Snow ninja. While he was able to deflect the strike, Naruto wasn't strong enough to block all of it. With a cry, Naruto was thrown to the ground, his arm numb from the blow.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" Kurenai gasped as she tried to stem the bleeding.

"Doing my job," Naruto said gritting his teeth and trying to shake some feeling back into his limb.

"You're out of your league little boy," the massive Snow ninja chuckled. "You can't think that you can beat us. We're ninja of the Snow, and with our chakra armor, we're invincible. Ninjutsu and genjutsu are worthless against us."

"I see," Naruto said as something clicked into place. "But a ninja isn't limited to only those two foci, are they?"

The massive ninja narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about boy?" he growled.

"Even if a ninja can't use ninjutsu and genjutsu, there's always taijutsu," Naruto said before blurring out of sight. The massive ninja felt something sting him in the back of his neck before his world went dark.

"Naruto," Kurenai gasped as she got to her feet. "Thank you."

"No problem Kurenai-sensei, maybe you should brush up on your taijutsu," Naruto suggested. "You don't want to be limited to just one strength and besides, Ero-Sennin always said that 'there's always someone stronger out there'."

Kurenai had to bit her tongue from reprimanding the 'green' chunin. '_He's right though, I'm worthless against this type of opponent, my genjutsu can't affect everyone_,' she thought. '_When we get back to Konoha, I'll speak with Anko about teaching me some taijutsu._'

"Juro!" one of the Snow ninja shouted as the massive man fell to the ground.

"Fubuki, retreat!" the leader barked as he disengaged from Kakashi. The pink-haired woman nodded and leapt away from Asuma.

"Now who's running Nadare!?" Kakashi shouted as the Snow ninja disappeared into the hills. Kakashi turned to the others. "Well done Naruto, good job at getting the crew clear and for assisting Kurenai. We need to move quickly, they'll be back and in greater number."

"Too right you are Kakashi," a snide voice called out. The four Leaf jonin and Naruto spun around to see a large airship appear over the edge of the cliff. The leader of the Snow ninja was standing on the balcony of the airship, a large man with a massive metal hand next to him. Suddenly the metal hand shot forward, barreling straight for the assembled genin, film crew and Yuki.

The actress cried out in panic as the metal hand grabbed her and scattered the people around her as the line went taunt before she was ripped from her feet and pulled toward the airship. "NO!" Kakashi and the other jonin cried out as Yuki was pulled into the airship. A black blur shot past the jonin as Sasuke raced toward the edge of the cliff.

"Sasuke! Don't!" Kakashi shouted as the Uchiha threw a line at the fleeing airship. It wrapped around the balcony's railings and Sasuke shot off into the air, trailing behind the airship like a bug. "Damn that boy!" Kakashi growled.

"Don't worry Kakashi-sensei, I'll make sure he doesn't make a fool of himself too much," Naruto said.

"What are you talking about Naruto-baka?" Ino shouted. "Sasuke-kun is going to rescue Yuki, he's no fool."

"Then why did he run off like an idiot and try to play hero," Sakura barked. "Naruto's right. Sasuke should have waited."

"Shut up Forehead, you're just trying to confuse me," Ino cried. "You want Sasuke-kun for yourself."

Sakura rubbed her forehead. "Get it through your thick head, I don't like Sasuke like that anymore, hell, I don't think I like him at all. But he's my teammate," she turned to Kakashi and the other senior ninja, "What are we going to do now? Where would they be taking Yuki?"

"Probably to the palace," Kakashi answered. "Doto wants something from Yuki, otherwise he'd have just killed her and be done with it." Asuma, Kurenai and Gai nodded in agreement. "Naruto, you said that you could make sure that Sasuke didn't make a fool of himself, what did you mean?"

"I'm with him," Naruto answered. "This is just a clone. Boss moved immediately when he saw that Yuki was caught. He'll make sure that teme doesn't get killed because the village can't lose its precious 'last Uchiha'," the clone grumbled. Kakashi had to hide grin behind his mask.

"Good work Naruto, tell your creator that I want him to send us a clone to rendezvous with the rest of us when that airship lands," Kakashi ordered. "And while you're at it, why don't you make it so that our opponents don't get to comfortable."

A feral grin on the clone's face sent shivers up each of the Konoha ninjas' spines. "Roger that," the clone said before dispersing with a puff of smoke.

"Kakashi, did you just give Naruto permission to prank the daimyo of Yukigakure and his men?" Asuma asked.

"Of course not," Kakashi waved off Asuma's question. "I just gave Naruto an order to distract them while we sneak up, how he interprets that order is totally up to him."

"Right," Asuma sighed rolling his eyes.

Naruto grinned as the memories of his clone filtered through his mind. '_I can't believe Kakashi just gave me permission to prank someone on a mission,_' he thought. '_And I've got just the thing._' Hearing footsteps, Naruto quickly vanished into the shadows, pulling a gray hood over his bright blonde hair. He watched as Sasuke was dragged, wrapped head to toe in ropes, down the hallway. The blonde chunin had to stifle a chuckle at the sight of the prized Uchiha trussed up like a common street rat. Following the procession from the shadows, Naruto made his way forward toward the bridge and slipped inside just before the doors closed.

"Ah welcome aboard my dear Yuki, or should I call you by your real name Koyuki," a large black haired man said with a slight regal lint to his voice. Koyuki flinched.

"What do you want Uncle?" Koyuki snapped.

"Well that hex crystal that you've been carrying around would do nicely," Doto said simply. He reached out his hand. "Now if you would please?"

Koyuki narrowed her eyes but reached up and took off the necklace and handed it to Doto. The man grinned widely as he inspected the crystal. His grin quickly faded and twisted into a scowl as Doto suddenly gripped the crystal in his hand and crushed it. Koyuki was stunned and didn't move when Doto grabbed her by the front of her robes hoisting her into the air.

"Do you think I'm a fool?" Doto roared. "Where is the hex crystal?"

"I don't know," Koyuki gasped. "I haven't taken that off in…Kakashi, he must have switched the crystals when I was asleep."

"Kakashi would be clever enough to switch the crystals," Nadare commented. "My Lord, what should we do with this one?" he asked, tossing Sasuke at Doto's feet.

"Let me go you commoners!" Sasuke roared. "I am an Uchiha, an elite, how dare you treat me like this!" Naruto face-palmed at Sasuke's explosion. '_Idiot, if he had kept his mouth shut,_' he thought.

"Well an Uchiha, this is a surprise," Doto chuckled. "This is an unexpected boon for us. Maybe we can create our own Uchiha clan here in the Land of Snow, what do you say Fubuki? Are you willing to become the mother of the new Uchiha clan?"

The pink-haired woman walked over to the bound Sasuke and looked down at him. "He's cute enough though are we sure the brat's old enough to get his junk to actually work," Fubuki questioned. Naruto stuffed his fist into his mouth to stop his laughter from billowing out. Sasuke roared in anger but was cut off by a blow to the back of his neck.

"Take them both below," Doto ordered. "Kakashi will be coming after Koyuki and the Uchiha, Konoha is legendary for their lust for bloodlines. When we reach the castle, take them to the lowest dungeons and lock them up. If Kakashi has the hex crystal with him, we will take it from him."

"Hai my Lord," Nadare said. He signaled a group of ninja to take Sasuke and Koyuki down below. Naruto followed the group off the bridge and found a shadowy place in the cargo bay to hide until they arrived at the palace and settled in for a nap.

An hour or so later, Naruto was woken by the screeching of metal. Jerking awake, he peaked out from his hiding place and spotted that Doto and his minions, along with chained Koyuki and Sasuke, were walking down a large ramp that extended from the ship. Silently, Naruto followed them to the palace gate. He paused for a moment, creating a Shadow Clone and having it Henge into a bird and sent the clone on its way to find Kakashi and the others while the original slipped into the palace, just before the doors slammed shut.

Naruto quickly found another hiding spot and summoned a dozen clones and ordered them to spread out and scout out the castle, looking for entry points for the others as well as setting up any pranks that they could think of. The clones gave their creator a feral grin before vanishing into the shadows. '_Man am I glad that I'm not Doto or those other temes,_' Naruto thought as he quietly made his way deeper into the fortress. '_I wonder if I'm going to far with these ideas…nah, this bastard deserves it for what he's done._'

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"Kakashi-sensei," a familiar voice called out. The Konoha ninja froze as Naruto appeared in front of them in a puff of smoke.

"So, are you the clone Naruto sent for us?" Kakashi asked. The clone nodded. "Right then, report."

"Hai!" the clone barked. "Doto was after some crystal that Koyuki had around her neck, that you apparently switched with a fake, and Doto knows. He has ordered both Koyuki and Sasuke down to the dungeons below the fortress. The Boss made some other clones to unsettle the people inside and scout out the area but I don't know anything more than that. Oh and Sasuke's going to get laid apparently by that pink-haired flying woman, Doto said something about becoming the new head of the Uchiha clan, though the woman was wondering if Sasuke-teme even had the right 'make-up' for his equipment to work."

Several chuckles broke out in the Konoha ranks, while Ino, Hinata, Tenten and Sakura went red. Ino in anger, Hinata, Tenten and Sakura thanks to Naruto's crude language. Kiba was struggling to stay upright while Shino and Neji were fighting their twitching lips.

"We have to save Sasuke-kun!" Ino cried out. "I won't let that bitch hurt my Sasuke-kun." The Naruto clone blinked and then shrugged.

"Boss will probably send another clone to find you guys once he's done scouting, later," the clone said before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

"What are we waiting for?" Ino screeched. "We have to hurry and save Sasuke-kun before that bitch takes advantage of him."

"Ino, be silent," Asuma barked. "Charging in without a plan will get us all killed, including Sasuke and our _client_, Koyuki. She is our top priority not Sasuke."

Ino looked ready to explode but a look from the other jonin gave her pause.

"The palace isn't much farther, about ten miles. Let's get closer and find a good vantage point to wait for Naruto's signal," Kakashi ordered. The Konoha ninja fell into line and took to the trees.

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Naruto sorted through the memories of his dispersed clones, all the while drawing out a crude map of the complex, pointing out the various entry points that his clones had discovered as well as marking the factories below the complex where the weapons were being manufactured and stored. When he was finished, Naruto made a copy of the map and made several hand signs.

"**Summoning Jutsu!**" In a puff of smoke, a small orange toad appeared in front of Naruto.

"Hey there Naruto," the toad quipped, then it realized how cold it was and shivered. "What's the big idea summoning me in a freezer like this?"

"Sorry Gamakichi, but can you take this map to Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked. "He and the others should be just outside the complex, I would make a clone do it but I need someone I can trust and who would be overlooked."

The small toad puffed out his chest at Naruto's praise. "Sure thing," Gamakichi said. "Though do you have anything that I could wear, it's really cold out and toads and cold don't go so well."

"I think so, let me check," Naruto said. He pulled out his emergency blanket and cut it up into a crude but effective jacket for the toad.

"That's perfect, thanks Naruto," Gamakichi said. "I'll see you around." Before Naruto could say goodbye, the toad vanished in a blur.

"Time to get to work," Naruto muttered to himself as he studied the map one more time. He created two-dozen clones. "All right, you know what to do. Go in pairs, and create as much havoc as possible but wait for my signal. The others will be using that distraction to enter the complex, focus on the assembly lines first then the storerooms. Make sure than none of these weapons and armor escape."

"Hai!" the clones answered. Naruto nodded and sent them on their way.

"So it begins," the blonde ninja whispered before vanishing into the shadows as he headed down to his primary objective.

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"Hey there teme, look at the shit heap that I've got to pull your sorry ass from…once again," an irritatingly familiar voice quipped from outside Sasuke cell. The Uchiha looked up to see Naruto frowning at him, his blue eyes steely.

"Dobe, what the hell! When did you get here?" Sasuke growled.

"Oh I've been here since you got caught," Naruto said flippantly. "For shame, the great and might Sasuke Uchiha getting captured like a green genin."

"Shut up dobe," Sasuke roared. "If you've been here since I tried to rescue Yuki, why haven't you come and freed us?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Really teme, do you honestly think I'm naïve enough to believe that you disobeyed orders to save Yuki?" he asked. "Please Sasuke, you only care about one person, yourself. You were trying to play hero and got caught. And as if why I've only just showed up, well let's just say that Doto and his minions are having some trouble with the upkeep of their humble abode. And I was getting everything ready for Kakashi-sensei and the others." Suddenly a large explosion rocked the castle. "That's our signal, let's get you two out of here."

Naruto drew a kunai and sliced through the cell doors and then freed Sasuke. The Uchiha heir grumbled as he rubbed feeling back into his limbs. Another Naruto was doing the same thing across the way and freeing Koyuki. "Come on you two, let's go," Naruto ordered. Sasuke and Koyuki begrudgingly trailing behind him. The trio found an elevator and piled in. They had just gotten to the highest level of the prison when another explosion rocked the castle. The doors pinged open and Naruto shoved Sasuke and Koyuki out and leapt clear just as the elevator gave way.

"Guess we're walking from now on," Naruto commented. "Let's go, Kakashi and the others are waiting for us."

"This way," Koyuki said as she turned down a dimly lit corridor. Sasuke and Naruto followed her, Naruto narrowing his eyes at the actress' back. '_Something's not right here, why now is she leading us?_' he thought. The trio suddenly emerged into the throne room of the palace.

"Naruto, Sasuke, Yuki!" a sharp voice called out. It was Kakashi and the other Konoha ninja.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto said, his chest loosening slightly, though something was prickling the back of his mind. "You guys made it?"

"Yes and well done with the traps and explosions," Kakashi said. "Your map certainly…"

"You stole my necklace," Koyuki barked at Kakashi. "I'd like to have it back now."

"Ah yes, well I wanted to make sure it was safe," Kakashi admitted. "I'm sorry for deceiving you." He handed her the necklace back but Koyuki didn't put it back on. Instead she just looked down at it. Suddenly the room was flooded with lights, nearly blinding the ninja.

"Well done Koyuki," a deep voice boomed out around the room. A spotlight centered on the high throne as Doto appeared, flanking him were the four Snow jonin from before. Before anyone could stop her, Koyuki raced over to Doto and gave him the crystal.

"I told you, I'm an actress," Koyuki sneered down at the stunned Konoha ninja. "I can portray any emotion I wish." Suddenly, she pulled out a large knife and stabbed Doto in the side. "Including betrayal!"

"You fool!" Doto roared as he sent Koyuki flying with a single blow. He wrenched the blade from his side without flinching; the Konoha ninja were stunned to see a set of black armor being reveled as Doto's robes fell apart around him. "Did you really think that that little blade would be able to pierce our newest design?" He surged forward and grabbed Koyuki around the waist, wings burst from his back and he shot off into the air. The Snow ninja following suit as the castle continued to crumble around them.

"Kuso!" Naruto cursed. "Follow me!" he barked, charging up a **Rasengan** before slamming it into the wall. Teams 8, 10 and Gai were stunned to see Naruto wielding such a jutsu, as were their senseis.

"Kakashi, that's the…" Asuma gasped.

"Yes it is," the silver haired jonin answered briskly. "Now come on, if we don't hurry we'll lose them." The other Konoha ninja leapt into action after the fleeing Snow ninja. Naruto was out in front; only he, Sasuke, and the jonin were fast enough to keep Doto and Koyuki in sight. Gritting his teeth, Kakashi made his decision. "Naruto, you and Sasuke go on ahead and find a way to slow Doto down and if possible rescue Koyuki. The rest of us will deal with these pests and the catch up."

"Hai sensei," Naruto barked before he and Sasuke sped off.

"Are you sure that was wise Kakashi?" Gai asked. "One of us should have gone after Doto."

"You're probably right Gai but we're needed here to help our teams," Kakashi said. "And Naruto can handle things until we arrive to back them up. He and Sasuke are the strongest kids here, and Naruto won't let anything happen to Koyuki or Sasuke if he can help it."

"I hope you're right my friend," Gai said as he ducked under a kunai from the Snow ninja.

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Naruto and Sasuke burst out of the forest and right into a massive clearing ringed with giant stone column like things. A small shrine was at the center of the center and that's where Doto landed with Koyuki, he threw her aside and put his hand on top of the shrine. Suddenly steam began billowing out of shrine enshrouding the area, Naruto wiped his brow as the air grew warmer and warmer around him. He froze when he heard Doto roar in anger.

"A heat generator! That's the great treasure of the Kazahana clan," Doto roared. "Where are the gold, jewels and treasure? This is unacceptable!"

"Doto!" another voice roared out over the hissing sounds of escaping heat and machinery. "You're going to pay for disrespecting me, an Uchiha!" Naruto groaned as he saw Sasuke sprint from the tree line straight toward the man. "I am going to kill you!"

Doto watched disinterestedly as Sasuke raced toward him. When the boy got close enough, Doto easily ducked under the blow and then sent Sasuke flying away with a single punch. "Pathetic," Doto sneered. "So much for the Konoha's prize Uchiha clan."

"Don't mock me!" Sasuke roared. "**Chidori!**" Sasuke cried as his hand became encased in lighting. Sasuke sped toward Doto and leapt into air above Doto. The jutsu screamed loudly as it struck at Doto, however a purplish glow surrounded the man deflecting the attack.

"Please, my armor is leagues away from those you might have fought before," Doto growled as he pummeled Sasuke into a rapidly melting snow bank. "Your pitiful jutsu can't touch me."

"Then let me try," Naruto shouted as he appeared next to Doto. Naruto threw a punch at the man's head but Doto easily blocked it with an upraised arm.

"Please boy," Doto sneered. "This is pointless, you can't beat me like that. If a son of the prodigious Uchiha clan, what makes you think you can?"

"Because I'm better than Sasuke," Naruto growled as he launched himself at Doto.

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Meanwhile, Sakura and Team Gai were battling against the pink-haired Snow ninja, whom was using the forest to her advantage as her armor allowed her to fly above the group. Gai knew this was bad match-up for his team and Sakura as all of them except for Tenten were close-range fighters while their opponent was a mid-to-long-range fight.

"Tenten-chan, are you ready with those projectiles?" Gai called out.

"Hai Gai-sensei!"

"Good, Sakura-chan stay back with Tenten-chan, Lee, Neji and myself will lead our opponent toward you two and Tenten will need your help in capturing her," Gai said.

"Hai Gai-sensei!" Sakura answered and leapt over to her fellow kunoichi.

Sakura watched in awe as Lee and Gai raced amongst the branches of the trees toward the flying enemy. They seemed to be moving so fast that they weren't even touching the branches, she had only see Naruto move so fast and it seemed that both Lee and Gai were faster. They skillfully herded the woman toward a clearing and Tenten unfurled her massive scroll, sending hundreds of kunai, shuriken and other manner of weapons toward the woman. Their opponent dodged the attack but she didn't realize that Gai had snuck up behind her.

"**Primary Lotus!**" Gai cried out as he wrapped up the woman with bandages and grabbed her from behind. The pair began their descent back down to Earth, spinning rapidly. Sakura could hear the air screaming from the spinning and pressure.

BOOM!

The pair impacted the ground with a massive explosion; Sakura saw a blur shoot out of the smoke. It was Gai. When the smoke finally cleared, their enemy was unmoving in the middle of a large crater, her armor twisted and wrecked.

"What was that?" Sakura asked.

"That was the **Primary Lotus**," Gai said shakily. "It is a forbidden taijutsu technique that spins both user and opponent so rapidly that it is nearly impossible for the user to escape without damage."

"Oh," Sakura said. "Do you need any medical treatment Gai-sensei?" she asked. But Gai waved her off.

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"What gives?" Kiba cried as he ducked under a heavy punch coming from the large Snow shinobi opposing him and team 10 and their senseis. "Why can't we hit him?"

"His armor is too strong for basic taijutsu attacks, and Shino's bugs, Hinata's Gentle Fist and Kurenai-sensei's genjutsu are worthless against him because of that armor," Shikamaru said. "Kiba, you and Choji are our only chance. I'm going to try and catch him in my **Shadow Possession** jutsu but I don't know how long I can hold him. You and Choji will have to hit him almost immediately afterwards."

"Right," Kiba said. "Let's get ready Akamaru!" The puppy barked. Choji just nodded to his teammate.

"What about me?" Ino whined.

"Go over with Hinata, Shino and Kurenai-sensei," Shikamaru said. "You have no business in this fight."

"WHAT?" the blonde girl screamed. "How can you say that?"

"Easy, you're weak!" Shikamaru barked. "You spend all your time trying to look good for Sasuke, or berating Naruto, me and Choji instead of training. You don't have any jutsu that would help in this situation and you're pathetic in taijutsu, so you can't help there."

Ino fumed at Shikamaru but leapt over to Shino, Hinata and Kurenai-sensei who were pestering the Snow ninja trying to draw his attention from Shikamaru and the others.

"You pipsqueaks don't have a chance against me," the man chuckled as he blocked Asuma's strike with a raised arm. Suddenly he froze in place. "What the?" he gasped.

"**Shadow Possession** complete, now Choji, Kiba!" Shikamaru shouted.

"**Partial Expansion Jutsu!**" Choji cried as his arms ballooned to massive proportions.

"**Fang over Fang!**" Kiba roared as he and Akamaru sped down from the air toward the man. Their attack slammed into the chakra barrier, which began smoking and sparking. The glowing jewel on the man's armor exploded just as the tag-team attack ended. Kiba and Akamaru leapt clear as a large shadow covered the man. It was Choji's arms.

BOOM!

The Akimichi heir's attack sent snow, wood and dirt flying in every direction. When his arms shrunk and returned to normal, the scene they uncovered was pretty gruesome. Their opponent was barely recognizable in a heap of twisted metal, limbs and bone. Ino swayed heavily but stayed on her feet, her face decidedly green.

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Naruto cried out in pain as he felt his right leg snap as he crashed into one of the giant ice pillars surrounding the clearing. He slumped to the ground, grabbing at his broken limb.

"Now you see the disparity, the futility of your efforts," Doto sneered. "You can't hope to defeat me. I am the strongest ninja that the Land of Snow has ever produced. I am going to kill you boy."

"You'll try," Naruto gasped as he struggled to his feet. "I don't care what happens, you won't kill me, I will stop you." '_Come on you baka fox, I need some help here,_' Naruto concentrated on contacting the fox sealed within his tenant. '_Just enough to kill this teme and save Koyuki._'

Naruto's eyes widened as he felt the rush of the Kyubi's chakra flood his system, his strength renewed, the pain of his broken leg vanishing. Naruto watched as Doto stopped and starred at him. "What are you?" he asked, seeing the red chakra surrounding Naruto.

"I'm your worst nightmare," Naruto growled, his voice deepening and growing heavy with malice. "**You won't beat me**."

In a blur of motion, Naruto appeared in front of Doto, fist glowing red. WHAM! Doto was sent flying as Naruto planted his fist into the man's face.

"You'll pay for that boy," Doto growled, spitting blood from his mouth.

Naruto glared at the man. "Better men than you have tried," he growled. "**Taju Kage Bunshin!**" Naruto roared. Over a hundred clones appeared around Naruto. "_**Get him**_," Naruto cried. His clones roared and charged. Doto watched in stunned amazement at the wave of Narutos charging at him.

"**Twin Dragon Blizzard!**" Doto roared. Two massive dragons of black smoke and glowing red eyes appeared in Doto's hands. They burst forth from his palms and slammed into the charging horde of clones. Dozens of clones vanished into smoke as the jutsu tore through them like wet paper. "All too easy," Doto commented as the last clone vanished. "It's over."

"Not yet it's not," Naruto growled. Whirling around, Doto saw Naruto standing behind him with a swirling ball of chakra in his hand. "**Rasengan!**" Naruto roared, slamming the jutsu into Doto's chest. Doto cried out as his armor struggled to contain the attack and disperse the damage. "More, more," Naruto muttered as he poured more and more chakra into the attack, much like he had against Gaara.

A massive explosion rocked the clearing just as the other Konoha ninja arrived on scene. They saw Naruto slam his attack into Doto then him fly backward from the explosion. When the smoke cleared, Doto was still standing, though his armor was in ruins while Naruto was lying up against a boulder, his head hanging limply.

"Naruto!" Sakura and Hinata cried out.

"Like I said boy," Doto sneered as he picked Naruto up by the collar. "It's over, you lose." To the horror of the Konoha ninja, Doto slammed the unresponsive Naruto into the ice pack, propelling him into the water.

"NARUTO!"

'_Come on Kurama, I need some help here,_' Naruto thought. '_This guy is more than I can handle, I need some more chakra._'

**'**_**All right Naruto, I'll give you as much chakra as you can handle but be warned you might not be able to handle this,'**_** Kurama responded. **_**'I can give you as much one tail's worth of chakra but this is going to hurt.'**_

_'Got it and thanks Kurama,'_ Naruto 'said'. Naruto gasped as he felt Kurama's chakra flood his system once more, this time the sensation was much more intense. It felt as if his blood was on fire. The physical changes were immediate as Naruto's whisker marks darkened, his canines lengthened, his already spiky hair grew even wilder and his eyes became red and silted.

"_**We're not done yet**_," a deep and menacing voice came from behind Doto. Naruto had burst from the lake and landed on the shore. The Konoha genin were stunned and a bit scared of Naruto's appearance.

"What is this?" Doto screamed as Naruto appeared before him in a flash of red. "What are you?"

"_**Like I said, I'm your worst nightmare! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the future Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato!**_" Naruto roared, a purplish **Rasengan** appeared in his hand, much larger than anyone previous. "_**Take this!**_"

"AHHHHHHHHH!" Doto screamed as Naruto slammed the giant **Rasengan** into his chest. Doto was engulfed in the attack and sent screaming away, where he crashed into one of the massive stone pillars. A resounding crack came from the stone structure as the crater around Doto spread and pieces of the pillar began falling to the ground. Suddenly much of the ice surrounding the clearing disappeared and the air became even warmer. Slowly the remaining pieces of the stone pillar fell off, with the body of Doto preceding them, and it reveled a massive mirror, which reflected the sunlight and added to the warming of the clearing.

"Wow!" several of the Konoha genin said as the snow and ice melted all around them.

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"What happened?" Naruto groaned as he opened his eyes to find himself in a warm bed underneath a bright white ceiling.

"Ah you're awake Naruto," Kakashi said. "Well to answer your question, after you beat Doto, you passed out from chakra exhaustion, you've been out cold for nearly a day."

Naruto's eyes widened. "What happened to Sasuke?" he asked.

"He's fine, ego a bit bruised but fine physically," Kakashi said. "I think you made quite an impression on your classmates, especially Ino and Kiba."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we caught the last bit of your fight with Doto, so they saw you get knocked down but get back up," Kakashi said. "I think you've shown them that you're not the dead last anymore."

"So they saw me…" Naruto asked. Kakashi nodded.

"Yes they saw you use the Kyubi's chakra though they don't know what it was," the silver haired jonin said. "We've led them to believe it's a bloodline trait, similar to Kiba's."

"I see," Naruto said. "That makes sense. How long do you think I have until the Council finds out that I used the fox's chakra? You know Sasuke will try and make me 'give' him the power to beat Doto, and when I say no, he'll complain to the Council."

Kakashi frowned under his mask. Naruto was right, Sasuke was already demanding to see Naruto to try and force the blonde to give him power, the Uchiha had awoken at the end of Naruto's fight as well and had seen Naruto using the Kyubi's chakra.

"How long until I can get out of here?" Naruto asked bringing Kakashi out of his thoughts.

"You should be back to full strength by tonight, so we'll be leaving for the village tomorrow," Kakashi said. Naruto nodded. "Get some more rest, we'll come back to check on you later."

"Ok sensei," Naruto said before he drifted back off to sleep.

The Konoha ninja left the Land of Snow the next day; Naruto's prediction came true, as Sasuke demanded that Naruto give him Naruto's power the first chance he got. The Uchiha heir was smacked down by Naruto, who told him, "It's not your burden and this power is a curse. I never wanted it but I'll be damned if I don't make the most of it. And Sasuke, if you ever try that again, I will kill you!"

The jonin made sure to keep Sasuke under close watch during the return trip and Naruto was able to avoid the questioning coming from his classmates by sticking to the story that Kakashi had told him. When they returned to Konoha, the teams made their reports to the Hokage who complemented them on a job well done and then gave them a week off to recover.

**A/N: And that's that. There's the latest chapter of _UTU_, hopefully you enjoy it. It's been a struggle to get this one done, and I know that this type of chapter has been done before. Honestly, there's probably only at most five more chapters of this story left. I'm just about to finish school, so in about a week and a half, I'll have more time to focus on my stories so look for so more frequent updates.**

**Enjoy**

**S.R.W.M.O**


	16. Betrayal and Treason

**Disclaimer: The world of _Naruto_ is not mine, I'm just playing in the sandbox.**

The month following the Rookie 9 and Team Gai's return to Konoha after their mission to the Land of Snow had the dissolving of Team 7 in all but name. Naruto was off nearly constantly either on border patrol missions with the various Chunin teams or training by himself. Jiraiya had left him dozens of training scrolls with jutsus and training exercises for Naruto to study while Konoha's spymaster was out of the village. Sakura was busy with her medical-ninja training under Tsunade. The Hokage had been impressed by Sakura's determination and skill as well as the girl's speed at picking up the nuances and difficult techniques of medical ninjutsu. Sasuke was being trained nearly exclusively by Kakashi, though Sasuke seemingly felt that this wasn't enough. Both of his teammates were being trained by loyal members of the Sannin; while he was 'stuck' with just Kakashi. Whenever Team 7 would meet for team training or a quick mission, Sasuke would challenge Naruto to a fight. Naruto would say 'no' unless Kakashi was there to umpire. This didn't sit well with Sasuke, as the Uchiha wanted no limits to restrict their fight. Sasuke wanted to prove that he was stronger than Naruto, and was willing to do whatever it took to prove it.

Many of the Rookie 9 noticed that Sasuke would take to storming around the village in a furious stupor, leaking KI as he went. Even the most rabid of Sasuke's fan-girls began to avoid Sasuke, though this seemed to cheer the Uchiha up, however it was quite difficult to figure out what Sasuke was feeling outside of rage, jealousy and more rage.

Five weeks after their return to the village, Sasuke's will finally broke.

"Kakashi! Teach me something that will give me the power to kill that _man_," Sasuke snarled at the beginning of one of their training sessions. "I'm not getting stronger fast enough."

"Sasuke, you have to take a break every once and a while," Kakashi said. "If you continue pushing yourself like this, you'll burn out and then you'll not be any use to anyone."

"I need power to kill my brother. The dobe and Sakura-chan are each training under a member of the Sannin," Sasuke shouted. "And yet I'm stuck being trained by you. Show me your jutsus so I can become stronger!"

Kakashi blinked at Sasuke's affectionate suffix for Sakura but frowned at the boy's demand of showing him jutsu after jutsu. "Sasuke, your Sharingan is meant to supplement your abilities. It's not meant to be a crutch that you lean on. It is not all-powerful; having dozens of jutsus won't give you strength. You must first master the jutsus you have learned, then I will teach you more."

"I am an Uchiha, we are the elite, I have no use for your limitations!" Sasuke roared. "If you won't show my more jutsus then I will find someone who will!" The Uchiha then leapt off into the forest, leaving Kakashi behind. The silver-haired jonin frowned. Roughly a half-mile away, five figures watched the confrontation between student and teacher.

"Looks like Lord Orochimaru was right," one of the figures said. "Let us go welcome our newest recruit." Without another word, the five figures vanished into the shadows.

Sasuke leapt through the forest, his anger bleeding into the atmosphere. His Sharingan whirled into existence unconsciously. A whirring sound caught Sasuke's attention, the boy leapt higher into the trees just as several kunai struck deep into the tree limb that Sasuke had just been standing on.

"Who are you?" Sasuke demanded. Five newcomers appeared in front of him. Four men and one woman stood in front of Sasuke, all wearing the symbol of Oto on their hitai-ate. "What are Sound ninja doing here?"

"We have come a great distance at the behest of our lord, Orochimaru," the man in the middle said. He was of middling height, though with white hair, two bangs framing his pale face. Two light green eyes peered out from sharp eyes while twin red dots were etched on his brow. "We know that he has given you a great gift, and yet you have not used it."

"Kakashi sealed it almost as soon as I woke up," Sasuke growled.

"I see," the white haired boy said. "It seems then that Lord Orochimaru was wrong about you Uchiha Sasuke, perhaps you don't desire power, the power to kill the one who took everything from you."

Sasuke's Sharingan flared to life and spun rapidly. "I will kill you!" Sasuke roared as he leapt at the Sound ninja. As one, the five infiltrators leapt apart, scattering to the winds, aside from the white haired boy.

"Foolish boy, you are years away from challenging me," the white haired youth said. He quickly ducked under Sasuke's spinning kick, caught the Uchiha by the scruff of his neck and threw him aside with ease. Sasuke gasped as he slammed into a tree. Getting gingerly to his feet, Sasuke sped through several hand signs.

"**Katon: Great Fireball Jutsu!**" A massive fireball shot from Sasuke's mouth and sped toward the white haired boy. Sasuke smirked as the fireball engulfed the boy, setting several trees ablaze.

"What are you smirking about?" a voice asked from behind Sasuke. Whirling around, Sasuke saw that the white haired boy had somehow gotten behind him. "If this is the limit of your power, then perhaps Lord Orochimaru chose poorly in granting you such a wonderful gift."

Sasuke's vision turned red as he recklessly charged the white haired boy, a **Chidori** sparking into existence without the use of hand seals. He sped toward the white haired boy, and thrust his lighting encased hand out. However, the boy sidestepped the attack and grabbed Sasuke's forearm, gripping it so tightly that Sasuke thought he could hear his bones creaking and cracking.

"Pathetic," the boy spat. "You aren't worthy of Lord Orochimaru's gift nor are you worthy of becoming his next vessel. Lord Orochimaru sent us to test you, and if you fail, he said to kill you. So goodbye Uchiha Sasuke!"

Sasuke starred in horror as a massive sword emerged from the boy's arm. It was white as a bone, then Sasuke realized it was a bone. The boy looked down at Sasuke with apathy. "Yes Uchiha Sasuke, this is a bone," the boy said. "I have the ability to manipulate any bone, and the bone structure of my entire body. I can make my bones harder than steel or as sharp as a kunai; there is nothing that you can do. You are weak Uchiha Sasuke, and for that transgression, you will die."

Sasuke's eyes widened as the boy sped toward him, his bone sword outstretched. At the last possible second, Sasuke ducked under the strike and leapt away.

"Is this the worth of your strength Uchiha Sasuke?" the boy asked, leaping after him. "Is this all you can do, run away?"

Sasuke froze. "What did you say?" he growled.

"Come on shitstain," the redheaded girl cackled. "If this is the best the vaunted Uchiha survivor can show, pathetic. Run away little boy, run away."

"You dare call me a COWARD!" Sasuke roared. Dark flame-like patterns raced along Sasuke's neck and arms. He shot forward with incredible speed grabbing the girl's throat and slamming her into a tree. "I will KILL YOU!" he screamed as power flooded Sasuke's body.

Suddenly an iron hard grip grabbed the front of his shirt and Sasuke was lifted off the ground. Looking at the girl he had pinned to the tree, Sasuke was stunned to see similar black flame patterns spreading across her face and arms.

"Do you really think you were the only one who Orochimaru-sama gave that gift too?" the girl growled. "Too bad shithead, you're dead!" She slammed her other hand into Sasuke's stomach and sent him flying.

"Agh!" Sasuke cried as he slammed into a tree trunk.

"You are still weak Uchiha Sasuke," the leader of the Oto ninja said softly. "Our Lord Orochimaru can give you power but do you have the desire to travel down this path?"

"I am an Avenger!" Sasuke cried. "I need power to kill that _man_!"

"What's going on here?" a stern voice asked from above the Oto ninja. It was Kakashi and a group of ANBU. "What are Oto ninja doing here?"

Without a word, the Oto ninja disappear into the trees with the ANBU racing after them. Kakashi leapt down next to Sasuke.

"What the hell were you doing?" he roared at the boy.

"I could have taken them!" Sasuke roared right back

"Silence!" Kakashi snapped. "They were much too strong for you to deal with alone, in case you didn't noticed, they were all holding back. Now what did they want?"

"If you would teach me some strong jutsu, I would have been able to beat them," Sasuke said, attempting to change the subject.

"Don't try to change the subject _genin_," Kakashi growled. "What did those ninja want with you?"

"That's none of your business," Sasuke snarled. "I can handle it," he added before leaping off into the trees. Kakashi frowned as he watched his student leave. He had to talk with the Hokage about this and have someone, probably some ANBU, watch over Sasuke for a while. Four of those five ninja, he remembered, were part of Orochimaru's invasion force, that white haired boy, he didn't recognize but Kakashi did know that the boy was much stronger than any of the others.

Night had fallen over Konohagakure no Sato, and the ANBU team assigned by the Hokage to watch over the Uchiha compound had settled in for a quiet night. Suddenly, the four-man team keeled over, their throats slit. Five figures appeared from the shadows.

"Let's go," the tallest figure said. They leapt down from their perches and approached the compound.

"What are you doing here?" a stunned Sasuke asked, as the Sound ninja entered his home. "What happened to the guards?"

"Dead," a silver-haired boy said. "We are here to escort you to Lord Orochimaru, so he can give you the power you believe you deserve."

"So you want me to desert the village and betray my clan's home for the promise of power?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes," the redheaded girl said sharply.

"When do we leave?" Sasuke said quickly. Four of the Sound ninja sweat dropped, while the white-haired boy just blinked.

"Are you serious twerp?" the girl asked. "That easy of a decision."

"I am an Avenger," Sasuke answered. "This village is holding me back from gaining strength to kill my _brother_. I will never gain enough strength and power to achieve my ambition, if Orochimaru can give me that, then I will go to him."

"You will meet us at the east gate of the village at 3am," the white-haired boy said. "We will then escort you to Lord Orochimaru."

Sasuke nodded. "You better leave before another ANBU team shows up," he said. "I will be there."

"Don't be thinking you can be ordering us around boy," the girl growled. "Any one of us can wipe the floor with you."

"Enough Tayuya," the white-haired boy snapped with an edge of unmistakable command. "Uchiha Sasuke, if you do not arrive on time, we will come back and kill you. Lord Orochimaru doesn't like to be disappointed."

"Whatever," Sasuke scoffed but froze when he felt an immense amount of KI aimed toward him. Shaking slightly, Sasuke saw that the white-haired boy was glaring down at him with rage flickering in his green eyes.

"Don't insult Lord Orochimaru, I will kill you if you make that mistake again," the boy growled, the first time an inflection entered the boy's voice. The Sound ninja left Sasuke standing in his bedroom, a bead of sweat trickling down his neck.

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"Ugh," Sakura groaned as she tried rubbing feeling back into her arms as she walked home from a training session with her master, Tsunade. She had had to go to the library to look up material in order to complete Tsunade's assignment. "Why did I ever agree to train under Hokage-sama? She'll kill me before I can even use any of this. Even Shizune-sempai thinks that Tsunade-shishou is being to hard on me, though I can't really complain about the results."

Looking up, Sakura frowned when she noticed a figure leaping from rooftop to rooftop, carrying a bag over his back. Narrowing her eyes, Sakura saw that it was Sasuke. She picked up her pace to cut Sasuke off near the gate.

"What are you doing out here at this time of night?" Sakura asked loudly as she caught up with Sasuke just as he reached an alley leading to the gate.

Sasuke whirled around, his hand reaching for his kunai pouch. But when he saw who it was, he removed his hand from the pouch.

"Sakura-chan, what are you doing? Why are you out so late?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura had to fight off a blush at Sasuke adding an affectionate suffix to her name, she had dreamed about it for so long and while she wasn't the fan-girl stalker she had been during the Academy, she still harbored some feelings for the raven-haired Uchiha heir. Even though she knew that Sasuke was cold, hard and could be cruel, Sasuke was still an attractive young man and had many young women chasing after his affections.

"Sasuke, what are you doing out here? Why do you have your pack…you're leaving the village aren't you?" she reasoned. Sasuke frowned.

"You were always too smart for your own good," he said. "This village is holding me back, withholding the power that I need, that I deserve. Now let me pass."

"I can't let you do that Sasuke," Sakura said, settling into a fighting stance. "I won't let you leave the village, you won't abandon m…the village. I will stop you Sasuke."

"Very well Sakura," Sasuke said, setting his pack down. "I will do what I must."

Without another word, Sasuke rocketed toward his pink-haired teammate. Sakura ducked under Sasuke's thunderous punch, and quickly struck back at Sasuke with a viscous uppercut that the raven-haired boy easily dodged. Sakura knew that she had to finish this quickly as she wasn't a full strength from her training session with the Hokage, and that Sasuke was faster and more skilled than she was.

'_Time to see if what Tsunade-shishou taught me has snuck in,_' Sakura thought. Blocking several thrown kunai and shuriken with her own kunai, Sakura rushed Sasuke, hoping to thrown him off balance by getting in close. She knew that Sasuke felt that he was superior to her, and in most ways he was. Sasuke was faster, better taijutsu and ninjutsu than she was but as Kakashi-sensei had drilled into them, 'never underestimate your opponent, for it can be the difference between life or death.' However, Sasuke had fallen prey to that very inkling, thinking that Sakura hadn't grown stronger in her time with Team 7.

While Sakura hadn't advanced as quickly as Naruto, she was no slouch. Her chakra capacity had grown by leaps and bounds, allowing her to utilize several different elemental jutsus, and with her instinctive chakra control, she could use her chakra better than either Sasuke or Naruto. Ducking under another kunai strike, Sakura landed a chakra-enhanced punch to Sasuke's ribs, sending him skidding backward several feet.

Sasuke clutched his chest; he had felt several ribs give way thanks to that last blow from Sakura. Frowning, he glared at his pink-haired teammate. He hadn't managed to land a single blow on his opponent, something that he hadn't foreseen. Sakura was supposed to be much weaker than him, even though she had grown since they became a team. He was an Uchiha; no one was supposed to be stronger than him.

"Enough of these games Sakura," Sasuke growled. "You have grown stronger but to an Uchiha, it is like a pebble before a mountain. Let me show you Sakura, my true strength."

Sakura's eyes widened as she saw black fames ripple across Sasuke's face and arms. He suddenly vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Looking for someone," a voice hissed from behind her. Whirling around, Sakura saw Sasuke smirking at her, a dark, evil smirk that twisted his normally handsome face. "Let me show you the difference between our power." His hand shot up from his side and grabbed Sakura by the neck, his fingers gripping her flesh tightly. Sakura choked on empty air as she grabbed at Sasuke's wrist, trying to break his hold. But it was futile; Sasuke's grip was too strong. Slowly her vision began to blacken, gasping for air Sakura summoned the last bit of her strength, and she shot her knee up and connected right in the fork of Sasuke's legs.

"Grk!" Sasuke gurgled as he released Sakura and clutched at his throbbing pieces. Sakura collapsed to the ground, massaging her throat. "You bitch!" Sasuke snarled as he caught his throat. "You'll pay for that. There was once a time that you would have done anything for me, what has changed Sakura-chan?" he crooned.

Sakura glared up at Sasuke. "That might have been, but I've had my eyes opened," she gasped. "You are nothing but a spoiled brat who thinks that the world should just hand him everything. You have no loyalty, no love for the village. All you have is darkness in your heart."

"You are correct," Sasuke chuckled. Sakura shivered at the sound, it sounded much like Orochimaru's laughter back in the Forest of Death. "I am an Avenger, I walk a dark path, one that I must walk alone. And it is time that I show you that power."

The chirping of birds filled the air as lighting encased Sasuke's hand. Sakura's eyes widened as she recognized the jutsu.

"**Chidori!**" Sasuke cried as he sped forward with incredible speed. Sakura couldn't move before Sasuke was before her. A silent scream tore from her throat as the **Chidori** cut through her flesh, Sasuke had buried his attack into her stomach. Blood spurted from the wound in great gouts as Sasuke wrenched his arm free of Sakura's body, her green eyes wide with shock and betrayal.

"What's going on here?" a voice cried out. Sasuke whirled around in time to see a Cat masked ANBU member appear. "Uchiha Sasuke, what have you done?"

"The same thing that will happen to you," a second voice said quietly from the shadows. The masked ANBU spun around in time to have a bone sword spear him in the stomach. "Come along Uchiha Sasuke, you have caused enough delay for us. I expect Lord Orochimaru will punish you accordingly when we arrive. Now come!" Sasuke nodded and leapt off after the Oto ninja, leaving the cat-masked ANBU and Sakura bleeding in the alleyway.

A moment later, a squad of ANBU appeared on the scene and froze in shock.

"What happened here?" a bird masked ANBU asked.

"We will have to find out later, we need to get Neko and the girl to the Hospital immediately or we will lose them both," a bear masked ANBU barked. "Now hurry, I will inform Lady Hokage!" The ANBU squad quickly picked up their fallen member and Sakura and vanished from the alleyway while Kuma sped toward the Hokage's tower.

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"WHAT!" Tsunade shouted as Kuma knelt before her. "How could this have happened? Where was the guard on the Uchiha compound?"

"Dead milady," Kuma answered. "They were killed sometime earlier, ambushed by the looks of it."

"Kuso!" Tsunade cursed. "And what of Sakura and Neko?"

"I know not milady," Kuma said. "I came straight here after arriving on the scene and having my squad get Neko and Miss Haruno to the hospital. It seems that Sasuke attacked Miss Haruno with a lighting based attack, a very powerful one, striking Miss Haruno in the stomach."

"Damn that Kakashi, teaching an unstable boy the **Chidori**," Tsunade growled. "Get me Nara Shikamaru and Uzumaki Naruto, and be quick about it. I've already sent Shizune to the Hospital but I'm sure that I will be needed there as well."

"Hai!" the ANBU said before vanishing in a swirl of leaves.

Not five minutes later, Naruto and Shikamaru appeared.

"What's the big idea baa-chan, dragging us out of bed at this time?" Naruto shouted.

"Silence Chunin Uzumaki!" Tsunade snapped. Naruto instantly fell silent, he recognized Tsunade's tone, it was the same of that as Hiruzen's tone when he went into 'Hokage mode' as Naruto put it. "Now Naruto, Shikamaru, I have called you here because Uchiha Sasuke has deserted the village to go to Orochimaru it seems."

"WHAT!" Naruto shouted. "That can't be, I mean sure Sasuke is a teme and an ass but surely he wouldn't betray the village like that."

"It's true," Tsunade said. "In addition, he seems to have run into Haruno Sakura as he was leaving the village. Sakura tried to reason, and then subdue Sasuke but failed. Sasuke used a **Chidori** on Sakura also."

"NO!" Naruto cried, his eyes wide. "Is she all right?"

"I don't know Naruto," Tsunade said heavily. "I'm about to head to the hospital to find out, but first I need you and Shikamaru to assemble a team to send after Sasuke and bring him back to the village."

"Isn't there anyone else?" Shikamaru asked. "Surely this mission requires more experienced team, I mean we're just green Chunin, barely a few months promoted."

"I know but our forces are still stretched thin from the invasion," Tsunade said. "We don't have any Jonin or older Chunin to send. I need you two to gather as many genin as you can and set out after Sasuke. Be warned, Kakashi said that there were several Oto ninja who had infiltrated the village and spoke with Sasuke earlier today, they may be escorting Sasuke."

"And what should we do when we catch up with Sasuke?" Naruto growled, trying to hold back the Kyubi's influence.

"Bring the Uchiha back by any means necessary," Tsunade growled back, meeting Naruto's gaze. The blonde chunin nodded stiffly.

"Come on Shikamaru, we need to go NOW!" Naruto barked as he leapt out the window, shattering the glass.

"Damnit gaki," Tsunade cursed.

"Don't worry Hokage-sama, even though its troublesome, I'll make sure that Naruto doesn't do anything rash" Shikamaru said before leaping out the same window as Naruto.

"NARUTO!" Shikamaru cried as he raced to catch up with Naruto. "Wait up!" Naruto paused just long enough for Shikamaru to catch up. "Look I know you're angry but we need to calm down and think. Send out some clones to round up Neji, Choji, Kiba and Lee if they are in the village and have them met us by the east gate in 30 minutes."

Naruto nodded, knowing that Shikamaru had a plan. He quickly created several dozen clones and set them scattering throughout the village.

"I'll meet you there, there's something I need to do," Naruto said before vanishing in a thin line of smoke.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru grumbled as he headed toward the east gate.

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Thirty minutes later, Naruto appeared besides the other members of the Sasuke Retrieval Team. "Now that everyone is here we can begin," Shikamaru said, with a pointed look at Naruto, who just glared back at the lazy Nara. "As you all have been told, earlier this morning Uchiha Sasuke deserted the village with the help of some Sound ninja, before he left Sakura confronted him in an attempt to stop Sasuke. Sasuke defeated her and wounded her gravely. We have been tasked by the Hokage to peruse and bring Sasuke back to the village, by any means necessary."

Neji, Lee and Kiba were stunned that Sasuke would attack a fellow Leaf ninja and a teammate. "Naruto and I are in charge," Shikamaru said. "We will go in this order: Kiba with take point followed by myself, then Lee, Naruto, Choji and Neji, you will be rearguard with your Byakugan. Any questions?"

"When we catch up to Sasuke, he's mine," Naruto growled, his eyes flashing between red and blue, much to the shock and a little bit of fear from the other ninja. "Now let's go!"

The six ninja leapt off into the forest in pursuit of their quarry.

As the retrieval team raced through the Hi no Kuni's forests and foliage, Naruto's rage grew and grew. He could feel himself growing angrier and angrier.

"Naruto, you need to calm down," Shikamaru barked from ahead of him. "Getting angry is just too troublesome. I know that you're angry with Sasuke but getting angry won't change anything. Channel that anger and when we catch up with our quarry, unleash it."

Naruto nodded and then his mind turned inward. Soon he found himself deep within his mindscape, walking down a dimly lit dank sewer.

**"Hey Kurama, can you hold off on adding to my emotions?" Naruto shouted. "I'm already mad enough as it is."**

_**"Don't think you can control me boy," the massive demon fox roared from behind his cage. "And it's your own fault, the seal your damned father sealed me with allows you to draw upon my chakra when your emotions get too worked up. You are drawing on my strength by your own doing."**_

** Naruto frowned. "How could Sasuke do this?" he asked the eons old demon. "I mean I think I can understand that he wants revenge for his clan but to defect from the village and to attack Sakura-chan. He used Kakashi-sensei's **Chidori** on her. How could he do that?"**

_**"From what I know of the Uchiha clan, and believe me, I despise that wretched clan, their members have always coveted power above all things," **_**Kurama growled. **_**"The Sharingan is a crutch that the Uchiha have leaned upon for borrowed strength. It allows them to copy any jutsu easily without truly mastering it, which is an affront to even me, while the Biju might be crazed demons, we have honor. And there is no honor is stealing a comrade's skill as their own to supplement their power. Many ninja now care more about the amount of jutsu that they possess rather than the ones they've truly mastered. Remember Naruto, jutsus are just tools for a ninja to use, like kunai or shuriken. A master with a rock can easily defeat a novice with a kunai. It's the wieldier that determines the winner in any engagement."**_

**"Hai Kurama-san, and arigato," Naruto said before cutting off the link.** He returned to the outside world and saw that Kiba and Lee were looking at him with confused and curious expressions. "Sorry about that guys, I just needed to get myself under control. Still having trouble wrapping my head around the fact that Sasuke would defect from the village and attack Sasuke-chan. I mean she's our teammate."

"Naruto, Sasuke has always walked a very dark path," Neji said. "Anyone can see that. It has grown darker and darker since the Chunin Exams. Sasuke was considered the strongest genin in the village, and the Uchiha clan was one of the strongest clan in the village before they were wiped out. He had many responsibilities thrust upon him as the supposed rebuilder of the Uchiha clan."

"Look I know that Sasuke had it rough in having his brother kill his clan but the village treated him like a prince," Naruto said. "Sasuke was given anything and everything he wanted from the villagers and Council."

"Sasuke was jealous of yours and Sakura's growth," Shikamaru said from the front of the group with Kiba. "Sasuke was the Rookie of the Year and the strongest of our graduating class, and he thought that many of us would never reach his level, least of all the class dobe and Sakura. Naruto, Sasuke never considered you a real threat during the Academy but now you've grown much stronger and add in the fact that you were promoted to Chunin before him, really must have set Sasuke off."

Naruto nodded. He had noticed this ever since the Chunin Exam Finals; Sasuke had grown more and more confrontational in the months following the Exams.

"Kiba, how far away are they?" Naruto asked, turning the conversation back to their mission.

"They've stopped about ten miles ahead of us," Kiba said. "Though I'm not sure why. Sasuke's scent is changing or something is making it harder for me or Akamaru to smell him."

"Let's pick up the pace and catch them," Shikamaru said. "Kiba, can you tell how the enemy is situated?"

"Not really from this distance but I can guess that they're in a circle judging from the concentration of scents coming from up ahead," Kiba said. "They're almost overpowering Sasuke's own scent."

"What's the plan Shikamaru?" Naruto asked, turning to the lazy Nara genius.

"We need to hit them hard and fast, they are probably stronger than us if they were able to get inside the village and surprise an squad of ANBU that was supposed to be guarding the Uchiha compound."

"These guys beat ANBU?" Choji stammered.

"Yes," Shikamaru said stoically. "So there's no question that these Sound ninja are strong, but we have a mission from the Hokage and we will not fail. Listen up; this is how we're going to do this. Kiba, Lee, you two are the fastest attackers of our group, so you two will engage first and use your speed to confuse them. Naruto, Neji, you two are our strongest overall fighters so you'll follow Kiba and Lee. Take them out as quickly as possible; this fight isn't about showing who's stronger. This is a simple extraction; we get in and get out as quickly as possible. Choji and I will be the back-up, Choji is the strongest physically of all of us, and with my **Shadow Possession Jutsu** we can pick off any stragglers."

"Got it," the other members of the team said.

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"**Fang Over Fang!**"

The Sound ninja scattered as a spinning Kiba and Akamaru crashed into their midst.

"**Konoha Senpuu!**" A green blur appeared next to the white-haired Sound ninja. The boy raised an arm to block.

"**Rasengan!**" Naruto roared as he appeared next to the six-armed Sound ninja, slamming the attack into the ninja's back.

"Kidomaru!" the girl cried. "What the fuck!" she shouted as she found herself unable to move.

"**Shadow Possession** success. Now Choji!" Shikamaru shouted.

"**Partial Expansion Jutsu!**" A massive fist slammed into the girl, sending her crashing through the forest.

"Where's Sasuke?" Naruto cried as he looked around wildly. But he only saw a large wooden casket with a black top.

"He's inside that casket thing," Kiba barked as he and Akamaru came to a halt, skidding across the clearing.

"Naruto, grab and let's get out of here," Shikamaru shouted. Naruto created several **Kage Bunshin** and had them grab the casket.

"I do not think so," a calm, soft voice said. In the blink of an eye, Naruto's **Kage Bunshin** vanished into puffs of smoke. "I can not let you take Uchiha Sasuke, he belongs to Lord Orochimaru. Kidomaru, Tayuya, Jirobo, Sakon, deal with these Konoha trash. If you fail to defeat them, I will kill you myself."

"Yes Kimimaro-taichou," the other Sound ninja said. Kimimaro grabbed the casket and leapt off into the forest.

"Naruto, go after him," Shikamaru shouted. "We can handle things here." Naruto looked like he wanted to argue but nodded briskly before leaping off after Kimimaro and Sasuke.

"You're going to die here shitstain," Tayuya laughed, as black flame tattoos spread across her body. "And Kimimaro will tear blondie apart."

Shikamaru had to hold back a shiver of fear as he noticed that each of the Sound ninja had similar black flame-like tattoos flowing across their bodies. "I wouldn't count on that. Naruto has this troublesome habit of beating the odds."

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"Kai!" Naruto barked as he released his gravity and resistance seals. He gave a sigh of relief as he felt his body be able to move freely. In a blur of blue and yellow, Naruto sped through the forest after Kimimaro and Sasuke.

"Hold it!" Naruto shouted as he caught up with Kimimaro in the middle of a massive clearing at the edge of the forest. "I won't let you go any further. Hand over Sasuke and I might let you walk away."

"Sasuke-sama is Lord Orochimaru's next vessel," Kimimaro said. "And he willingly came with us and abandoned Konoha. Why…"

"I know that Sasuke-teme deserted the village willingly, I want him back so I can tear the scum apart myself," Naruto growled. "Now are you going to let me do my job or not?"

Kimimaro stepped away from the now smoking casket. "I can't allow you to delay Lord Orochimaru's vessel any longer than it already has been," the boy said. "Your pursuit of Uchiha Sasuke ends here."

"So be it!" Naruto growled before vanishing in a burst of speed and appearing behind Kimimaro, a strange kunai in his hand. "Goodbye," Naruto muttered as he stabbed the kunai at Kimimaro's back. A cage of white bones erupted from Kimimaro's back in time to stop the kunai blade. "What the!" Naruto cried.

"You won't be able to defeat me so easily," Kimimaro said, as the skin of his left shoulder spilt open like an orange and he pulled out a large white bone that ended in a point.

"What the hell are you?" Naruto gaped.

"I am Kaguya Kimimaro, I am Lord Orochimaru's right hand," Kimimaro said. "I am the last of the Kaguya clan, wielder of the **Dead Bone Pulse** kekkei genkai and I will kill you."

"We'll see," Naruto said, even though he felt nervous seeing the boy's abilities. Naruto felt confident in his skills but he knew better to underestimate any opponent. Kimimaro surged forward and swung his sword at Naruto, aiming to finish the battle in an instant. Naruto ducked under the swipe and returned the attack with a stab of his own with his kunai. Kimimaro blocked Naruto's stab with his bone sword. Naruto knew that Kimimaro was physically stronger than he was, judging by the force and ease that Kimimaro forced Naruto's kunai away.

Naruto leapt backward to gain some space. Flying through some hand signs, Naruto called out, "**Futon: Great Breakthrough!**" A large ball of compressed air spat from Naruto's mouth and sped across the clearing toward Kimimaro. The Sound ninja thrust his sword forward, directly into the jutsu, the compressed ball of air imploded. Naruto narrowed his eyes as the smoke cleared reveling Kimimaro standing without a scratch, his robes barely ruffled.

"Is that it?" Kimimaro asked. "You will have to much better than that to even have a prayer of defeating me. And you'll have to hurry, Sasuke-sama will be emerging from his vessel and shed his limits," he added looking at the smoking casket.

"Fine then, let's pick this up," Naruto growled. "**Raiton: Naibu Keihatsu**." A small trickle of lighting surrounded Naruto. '_I have to finish this now,_' he thought. '_I can only use this jutsu once and for less than a minute before it starts to hurt me. But let's hope it's enough._' Channeling the lighting chakra surrounding him into his legs, Naruto surged forward at mid-jonin speeds, charging a **Rasengan** along the way. In a spilt second, Naruto was in front of Kimimaro and before the Kaguya can react Naruto slams the **Rasengan** into the ninja's stomach. Naruto felt the **Rasengan** grind itself into the Sound ninja's stomach for a second before Kimimaro was blasted backward.

Naruto let his **Raiton** jutsu drop; wincing as his muscles twitched randomly as the aftereffects of his jutsu ran its course. '_Damn it, I don't have enough control over my lighting element to get rid of the aftershocks but that attack should have ended…_' Naruto's thought process trailed off as he saw Kimimaro raise to his feet, black flame tattoos had spread across his body and it looked like his rib cage had sprouted from his chest. The ends of the extruding ribs seemed to have been ground down, leaving a small circle.

"How the hell did you survive that?" Naruto gasped, wincing as he felt his leg muscles twitch violently.

"You are not strong enough to defeat me," Kimimaro said evenly. "I am Lord Orochimaru's chosen, the extent of his will and the hand of your destruction." Reaching back behind his head, Kimimaro drew something into view. Naruto blinked then his face went slightly green.

"Is that?" he asked.

"Yes, this is my most powerful weapon, my own spinal cord," Kimimaro said. "With this weapon, I can use my strongest attacks." Suddenly the spinal cord whipped out and sped toward Naruto. Just before it wrapped around him, Naruto flashed out of the way, letting bone whip slice through thin air. However before Naruto could recover, Kimimaro was upon him. It was taking everything Naruto had to avoid any serious blows from the bone wielding ninja. Quickly Naruto's arms, legs, chest and face were covered in small cuts and scrapes, though they were disappearing just as quickly as Kurama healed them.

"It seems that you are still skilled enough to avoid most of my strikes," Kimimaro said. "I believe it is time to stop holding back." Naruto watched in horror as Kimimaro's skin darkened, had massive bone spikes protrude from his back and a white bone spiked tail. "Now witness the end of your pathetic attempt to bring Sasuke-sama back to your backwater village."

Naruto growled, he could feel the power flowing off of Kimimaro now. '_This isn't going well,_' Naruto thought. '_I did what I told myself never to do, underestimate my opponent. I should have known that this guy would have a seal like the one Orochimaru gave Sasuke-teme._'

For the next ten minutes, Naruto used every bit of his speed and evasiveness to dodge or block Kimimaro's strikes, though his shirt and pants were quickly being shredded. Suddenly Naruto saw Kimimaro's bone whip flick toward him and he was wrapped up in the weapon. Naruto could barely move, the bone spikes that broke up the whip were holding Naruto in place, slowly pushing deeper and deeper into his arms and legs. Blood began seeping into his torn and tattered clothing and turning the color darker.

"This is the end for you," Kimimaro said. "You have failed." The Sound ninja raised a hand and frowned, slowly a massive spiral of bone covered Kimimaro's hand; it had a twisting design that made it look like a giant drill. "I have compressed this bone as tightly as possible, it is now as sharp and strong as tempered steel."

Suddenly the casket exploded into pieces, shards peppered both Naruto and Kimimaro. Out of the smoke, Sasuke stepped into vision. Naruto gaped as he took in Sasuke's appearance. Dark gray hair had sprouted from Sasuke's head, nearly all the way to the ground. His normally pale skin had darkened to the color of charcoal, a cross-like shadow covered much of Sasuke's face and his normally dark eyes had turned yellow.

The Uchiha heir turned to where Naruto and Kimimaro were starring at him. A cruel smirk bloomed over Sasuke's face as he saw Naruto being restrained by Kimimaro.

"Carry on Uchiha Sasuke, I shall catch up to you when I have finished with this trash," Kimimaro said. Sasuke's grin widened making him look even more insane.

"So the old bitch sent you after me," Sasuke sneered. "Tell me, how's Sakura-_chan_? You should have seen her face when I plunged that **Chidori** into her chest. She is so weak, didn't even try to avoid the attack. Feeling my hand plunge into her and feel her blood spill all over my hand and chest."

An explosion of chakra emanated from Naruto, forcing both Kimimaro and Sasuke several feet back. Naruto's eyes changed from their clear blue to blood red and silted, his whiskers darkened and his hair grew longer and shaggier.

"**I'm going to kill you Sasuke,**" Naruto growled as Kurama's chakra flooded his system "**I don't care if you are the last Uchiha, you are scum and a traitor. And I will kill you even if its that last thing I do!**"

Naruto vanished a blur of red and reappeared in front of Sasuke, whose eyes widened. "Urk!" Sasuke grunted as Naruto's fist planted itself into Sasuke's stomach, forcing all the air from his lungs. The Uchiha heir dropped to his knees, struggling to keep his stomach inside his body. Naruto stood above him like a mountain, red chakra surrounding him and flickering like fire. Naruto reached down and picked Sasuke up by the collar of his shirt.

"**For the crimes of deliberately attacking a fellow Konoha ninja, a teammate in fact as well as deserting the village, I hereby sentence you, Uchiha Sasuke, to death**," Naruto growled. A purple **Rasengan** formed in Naruto's hand. "**Goodbye scum and traitor!**"

But before Naruto's jutsu could connect, a dark blur appeared between Naruto and Sasuke and took the jutsu in the chest. The Kyubi-enhanced **Rasengan** tore Kimimaro's chest apart, shredding skin, muscle and organs as it dug deeper and deeper into the devout Orochimaru sycophant's chest.

"Uchiha Sasuke, run," Kimimaro gasped. "Continue on east until the Valley of the End, you will find the path to Lord Orochimaru clear." Blood trickled down from the Sound ninja's mouth. Coughing, Kimimaro gripped Naruto's arms in an iron grip. "GO!" Kimimaro cried as his finger bones elongated and stabbed into Naruto's arms, causing Naruto to howl in pain.

Sasuke turned and fled the clearing, his hair receding back to its normal length. Naruto's eyes flashed as his rage grew, more and more of Kurama's chakra spilled out of Naruto.

'**Naruto, you need to be careful!' Kurama warned. 'Your body can't handle all this demon chakra. If you continue to push it like this, my chakra will burn out your chakra coils.'**

_'I don't care,' _Naruto growled. _'I need to beat this guy and go after Sasuke, he has to pay for what he's done, what he did to Sakura-chan!'_

**'Naruto, I know you want to avenge the pink-haired female but killing yourself isn't the way to do it,' Kurama said.**

"For the glory of Lord Orochimaru, you will fall here," Kimimaro shouted as he raised his arm complete with massive bone drill thing. Naruto tried to pull away and disengage but the grip that Kimimaro had on his other arm prevented that. "This is it for you Konoha trash!"

Naruto closed his eyes as he awaited the strike but it never came. "What is this?" he heard Kimimaro shout. Opening his eyes, Naruto saw that a tornado of sand had put itself between Naruto and the bone drill.

"Who are you?" Kimimaro growled as the mass of sound forced him away from Naruto.

"Allies of the Leaf village," a familiar monotonous voice said from behind Naruto. Looking over his shoulder, Naruto saw Gaara behind him, arms crossed, a scowl marring his normally stoic features.

"Gaara! What are you doing here?" Naruto exclaimed.

"Your Hokage sent for my siblings and I as backup," Gaara responded. Naruto nodded. "Now then, I believe that you have someone to catch, I will finish up here."

"Are you sure Gaara? He's really strong," Naruto said. But Gaara just gave him an even stare that Naruto took as '_Did you really just ask that?_' "All right Gaara, just be careful."

"You will not leave here alive," Kimimaro growled as he made to attack Naruto once more.

"Your opponent is now me," Gaara said, using his sand to deflect the attack. "Go Naruto."

"Right, and thanks Gaara, you are a true friend," Naruto said before leaping off after Sasuke.

Naruto sped through the forest, praying that he wasn't too late to catch Sasuke. He knew that Sasuke probably wouldn't stop for anything, but when Naruto burst out of the trees and onto the top of the waterfall that signified the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rice. Atop the opposite rock formation was Sasuke, he was standing facing the Land of Fire, as if waiting for Naruto.

"**SASUKE!**" Naruto roared. "**It's time for you to die!**"

"I don't think so dobe, I'm an Uchiha, the strongest clan in the world," Sasuke sneered. "Now that I'm free of that pathetic village, nothing will stop me from completing my ambition, least of all you."

"**Sasuke, I am going to bring you back to the village, whether it be breathing or not, the choice is up to you,**" Naruto growled.

"I'd like to see you try." Without another word, the two former teammates leapt off their respective perches and soared toward one another.

The two teammates, rivals soared toward each other, each with a kunai gripped tightly in their hands. CLANG! The sound of metal clashing against metal rang over the roaring sound of the waterfall that was the backdrop to their fight. The two young men strained against each other, trying to gain the upper hand. However, they were evenly matched, Naruto was beginning to feel the strain of his fight against Kimimaro while Sasuke was relatively fresh, his Curse Seal stabilizing as his body got used to its unencumbered state.

Realizing that he couldn't overwhelm Naruto with brute strength, Sasuke leapt backward and pulled several shuriken from his holster and flung them at Naruto with considerable speed. Naruto used his own kunai to easily deflect the thrown projectiles and then flung his kunai at Sasuke and in a blur made several hand signs. "**Kage Kunai Bunshin no Jutsu!**" he cried. The single kunai multiplied into two dozen. Sasuke backflipped away easily dodging the thrown projectiles, the kunai disappeared into the roaring river below them.

Growling, Naruto leapt after Sasuke and engage him once more, this time in taijutsu. Sasuke smirked as he ducked under a thunderous right hook from Naruto. Grabbing the inside of Naruto's outstretched arm, Sasuke used the blonde's own momentum and flung him aside. Naruto cried out in pain as he slammed into the valley wall. Groaning, Naruto got to his feet and glared at Sasuke.

"Sasuke, I am going to bring you back to the village," Naruto growled. "Even if you aren't breathing!" Launching himself off the valley wall, Naruto sped toward Sasuke who just settled into his family's taijutsu stance, the **Interceptor style**. The two exchanged a furious amount of blows, each landing several blows.

"**Taju Kage Bunshin!**" Naruto cried. Roughly fifty clones appeared around Naruto and Sasuke.

"Looks like you can't even hope to beat me without using clones," Sasuke sneered.

"And you couldn't beat Sakura-chan without your **Sharingan**," Naruto shot back. "So that makes us even doesn't it? And I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve, better watch yourself Sasuke, you're about to find out why I was promoted. **Kirigakure no Jutsu!**" A heavy mist formed around Naruto and his clones, obscuring them from Sasuke's view.

"Ha!" Sasuke laughed. "Do you really think this pathetic jutsu could beat me?" He flashed his **Sharingan** and then cried out in pain as a flash of chakra caused him to close his eyes. "What have you done?"

"Oh that's right, you weren't there for my match against Neji," Naruto's voice echoed all around him. "Well, I discovered that if I put enough chakra into the **Kirigakure no Jutsu**, it would blind those who have a dojutsu. The **Sharingan **and **Byakugan **see chakra, well if there's enough chakra that is saturated around the area, I'm guessing all you will see if chakra instead of me. So say goodbye to your precious **Sharingan** Sasuke, it's useless now."

"NO!" Sasuke roared as he ducked under a haymaker coming from Naruto. The blonde's fist still clipped him, as the **Kirigakure no Jutsu** cut down on his reaction time. He threw a blind punch at where he perceived Naruto to be but missed badly.

"Oh, is little Sasuke scared?" Naruto's voice cackled around the valley. "You are pathetic Sasuke, you rely solely on your **Sharingan** and your family's name, and what has that gotten you. Nothing! If you can't see your opponent, you just as weak as Sakura was when we just graduated. You've grown arrogant in your thinking that just because you are an Uchiha that you are automatically strong. Well, I'm going to prove you wrong Uchiha Sasuke."

Sasuke's ears picked up the whirring of several shuriken coming toward him. Pulling a kunai, Sasuke barely managed to deflect the shuriken though his shirt and pants were cut up. Several of the shuriken managed to draw blood on his arms and legs. Sasuke's rage grew as he noticed the blood trickling down his arms.

"I'm going to KILL YOU NARUTO!" Sasuke roared as black flame tattoos spread across his face and arms. A wave of chakra erupted from Sasuke, blowing away Naruto's **Kirigakure no Jutsu** and reveling the blonde to Sasuke. Naruto arched an eyebrow at Sasuke.

"So you decided to rely on that hickey that Orochimaru gave you?" Naruto commented. "So you resign yourself to depending on borrowed power, cursed power?"

"What do you know!" Sasuke shouted. "Power is power, no matter how one goes about seeking it. Orochimaru promised me the power to kill my brother, and that pathetic village did not. It was an easy decision. The village was holding me back, once I had cut those bonds I felt free for the first time in my life. No longer do I have the chains that Konoha put on me; being the last of the Uchiha, mothers having their daughters throw themselves at me in hopes of becoming my wife and helping me rebuild my clan. No more and you won't stop me Naruto."

"We shall see Sasuke, we shall see," Naruto said. The Curse Seal enhanced Sasuke tore across the raging river toward Naruto. Naruto signaled his clones to attack Sasuke, and they did. The mass of Naruto clones surged forward and surrounded Sasuke, several throwing kunai or shuriken adding in their **Kage Bunshin** variants to the mix. However, Sasuke using the Curse Seal was able to easily dodge the clones' attacks.

Leaping up into the air, Sasuke made several hand signs and cried out, "**Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!**" A massive fireball spat from Sasuke's mouth and using gravity sped down to the river's surface faster than the clones could escape. A huge eruption of steam covered the valley, obscuring both Naruto and Sasuke from each other's view. Naruto frowned as he set himself, without the **Kirigakure no Jutsu** Naruto was at a disadvantage in sight. He couldn't see Sasuke but he was sure that Sasuke could see him. To prove his point, a brace of kunai and shuriken came flying out of the mist. Naruto ducked under and weaved his way through the projectiles but then instantly realized his mistake as he caught sight of the wires attached to the kunai and shuriken.

"Kuso!" Naruto cursed as the wires tightened around Naruto, pinning him in place.

Sasuke appeared out of the rapidly dispersing mist. "Looks like you aren't as smart as you thought," Sasuke sneered. "To think a chunin could be caught so easily. Goodbye Naruto. **Katon: Gouryuuka no Jutsu!**" An immense fireball appeared in front of Naruto and quickly took the shape of a dragon's head. It followed the wires toward Naruto; the blonde could feel the heat coming off the jutsu. Below the attack, the river was steaming from the heat. The jutsu exploded and when the steam and smoke cleared, there was nothing left.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha," Sasuke cackled. "I've done it! I killed him!"

"Killed who?" a voice asked from behind Sasuke. The Uchiha whirled around to see Naruto standing behind him, his clothes smoking slightly but Naruto was generally unharmed.

"How?" Sasuke snarled. "I saw that jutsu hit you, there's no way you could have survived!"

"Never doubt the log," Naruto chuckled as he pointed to the charred remains of a log that Naruto had obviously **Kawarimi**'d with. "You won't kill me that easily Sasuke, better men than you have tried and failed."

Sasuke growled and launched himself at Naruto. Naruto gave ground as he ducked under a thunderous right hook and retaliated with a spinning sweep kick. Sasuke leapt over the kick and countered with his own falling axe kick. Naruto crossed his arms over his head, and blocked the kick though the force of the kick was enough to drive Naruto to his knees on top of the water. Naruto pushed Sasuke's legs back up but before he could strike back, Sasuke leapt backward to gain space. Naruto quickly got to his feet and set himself once more. Sasuke came surging toward Naruto, fist cocked back. Naruto spun inside Sasuke's guard and landed two solid blows to Sasuke's midsection. Sasuke's jaw dropped as spittle flew from his mouth, right into Naruto's face.

"Argh!" Naruto cried as he made the mistake to wipe his vision clear. Sasuke, smarting from Naruto's blows to his chest and stomach, quickly spun in place and his foot made contact with the side of Naruto's head.

CRACK!

Naruto cried out as he was sent skidding across the river, clutching at his head. Rolling over onto his back, Naruto felt the gravel crunch signaling that Sasuke had reached the shore. The sound of Sasuke's footsteps were barely audible over the roar of the waterfall and the rush of the river only feet from Naruto. Naruto blinked blood from his vision and saw Sasuke standing over him, an insane smile lighting up his features.

"So now we come to it eh Naruto?" Sasuke cackled. "Here you are, lying in the dirt at my feet. As it should be, soon my _brother_ will be in the same position as you. So Naruto, are you ready to die?" He had drawn a kunai and was holding it in a reverse grip, ready to stab downward.

"Not quite," Naruto said with a smirk as he vanished in a puff of smoke.

"**Kage Bunshin**!" Sasuke growled as he whirled around in time to see Naruto finishing a string of hand signs.

"**Fuuton: Daitoppa!**" A large ball of condense wind shot from Naruto's mouth and sped toward Sasuke, who was frantically finishing his own string of hand signs.

"**Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!**" The fireball met the ball of wind and…

BOOM!

The force of the explosion sent both combatants flying backward.

"**Suiton: Baku Suishouha!**" Naruto cried as a massive wall of water rose from the river behind him. Sasuke looked on in awe as the wall of water barred down on him, thinking quickly, Sasuke leapt backward several times and used his chakra to plant himself high up on the valley wall and braced himself as the jutsu crashed into the wall below him.

"**Katon: Housenka no Jutsu!**" A dozen fireballs, each the size of Sasuke himself, sped toward Naruto, each coming from a different angle.

"**Suiton: Suijinheki!**" Naruto cried. The river erupted behind him and quickly encircled him as the **Katon** jutsu struck. The fireballs crashed into the wall of water and hissing filled the valley as the fireballs sputtered out. Sasuke growled as he wracked his mind for an attack that would beat Naruto. Sasuke cursed himself for not learning more **Raiton** techniques aside from the **Chidori**. He had felt that as long as he had the **Chidori** any other **Raiton** techniques would be useless.

"**Raiton: Kiriorosu!**" Naruto cried as he slashed his hand downward toward Sasuke. A bolt of lighting shot from Naruto's hand and sped toward Sasuke. Sasuke leapt sideways to avoid the attack and made his own hand signs.

"**Katon: Gouryuuka no Jutsu!**"

Naruto dove sideways avoiding the fireball. Steam filled the valley once more.

"Come on Naruto, you know you can't beat me," Sasuke sneered. "I'm an Uchiha, you're nothing more than a clan-less orphan who no one wanted anything to do with. And because I'm an Uchiha, I must thank you for making me stronger."

"What are you talking about?" Naruto growled as he panted. More than half of his chakra was gone; the fight against Kimimaro and this one against Sasuke were pushing even his immense reserves.

"Let me show you the true power of the Uchiha!" Sasuke cried. "**Raiton: Kiriorosu!**" A bolt of lighting shot from Sasuke's hands and sped toward Naruto, who rolled away from the attack. The attack struck the ground that Naruto had just vacated with a loud crash and crack.

"You stole my jutsu!" Naruto shouted as he got back to his feet.

Sasuke just smirked. "You were unworthy to have them," he said. "Thanks to you, those jutsus are in the Uchiha's hands where they belong and with one who can use them."

"That's low Sasuke, even for you," Naruto growled. "Though I guess that's the only way you can even use jutsu, having to steal them and everything."

Sasuke's smug look vanished, replaced by one of pure rage. His Curse Seal pulsed and slowly the black flame tattoos changed again, this time they covered his entire body, turning his skin a dark charcoal. Sasuke's hair grew to his waist and a cross shaped shadow covered his nose and eyes, which had turned yellow.

"Now Naruto, you will know despair and witness my power," Sasuke cried as two massive hand-like protrusions came from his back. "This is what Orochimaru has given me, the power to kill anyone in my path. And you will be the first to witness my power."

The chirping of birds filled the valley as Sasuke activated a **Chidori** without any hand signs, instead of the normal white lighting that signaled the jutsu's creation, this **Chidori** was made up of black lighting.

_'__**Kit, if you don't shape up this bastard could actually kill you,' Kurama's voice echoed in Naruto's head. 'You have barely a quarter of your normal chakra levels, that won't be enough to beat this Uchiha bastard. You're going to have to use some of my chakra if you want to win.'**_

**'I know Kurama,' Naruto replied begrudgingly. 'But I don't have to like it. How much can you give me? I don't know how much more of your chakra I can take so quickly.'**

_**'I can give you just about a tail's worth, but it's going to hurt and the longer you use my chakra the more damage you incur.'**_

** 'Gotcha, just give me as much juice as you can,' Naruto said as he braced himself.** Slowly a red shroud of chakra emerged from Naruto's stomach and quickly covered him. Sasuke's eyes widened as he saw Naruto's features grow darker and more bestial, his whisker marks grew dark, eyes turned red and silted and his fingernails grew into claws.

"What are you Naruto?" Sasuke snarled.

"I'm complicated," Naruto answered his voice growing deeper and more guttural. "**You're not the only one who has a secondary power source. However, unlike you I wasn't 'given' this power, it was forced upon me."**

Sasuke blinked, and then it came to him. "So you hold the Kyuubi, don't you? It all makes sense," he said.

**"Correct Sasuke," **Naruto growled. **"I am the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi. The Yondaime chose me to bear this burden in order to protect the village. And I hate using this power; it's not my strength when I'm using it. I despise relying on someone else for strength but I will do what I must to complete my mission and bring you back to the village."**

"You shall try Naruto," Sasuke sneered. In the blink of an eye, Sasuke had leapt across the river and thrust his lighting encased hand toward Naruto. However this was met by the swirling purple chakra of Naruto's **Rasengan**. The two powerful jutsu ground against each other before a massive explosion sent both Sasuke and Naruto flying backward into the feet of the statues of Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, the Shodaime Hokage. The explosion also caused major damage to the statues, carving out great scoops of the feet and lower legs of the statue.

Rubble shifted, causing a small rockslide at the base of Hashirama. Out of the rubble came Naruto. The blonde ninja was cradling his left arm; the arm had been dislocated when Naruto slammed into the stone face. The Kyuubi cloak was still active around Naruto, even though Naruto could feel Kurama's chakra burning through his system. Across the river the rubble around the feet of Uchiha Madara shifted and Sasuke appeared out of the rock, to Naruto it looked like his claw-wings had protected him from much of the blast and rockslide.

**'Kurama, what's the damage? I can't feel my arm and it feels like there is boiling fire running through my body,' Naruto asked the demon fox lodged in his gut.**

_**'One moment…' the fox responded. 'All right well, your arm is broken and dislocated and the amount of chakra you are using is seriously getting close to your limit. If you don't finish this quickly, there's a chance that my chakra could burn through your chakra coils.'**_

** 'That's wonderful news,' Naruto retorted. **_'Ok Sasuke has got to be running on empty if I'm this drained,' _he thought. _'I think I can manage one more __**Rasengan**__. I should have ended this fight but when I had Sasuke blind with the __**Kirigakure no Jutsu**__ but no I had to try and prove myself to be stronger. I underestimated his strength and what Orochimaru gave him.'_

"Kukukuku," Sasuke cackled. "I must say Naruto, you have certainly impressed me. To think that the Kyuubi can give you such power, power in equal with my own. You know, we are not so different, you and I."

"**We are nothing alike Sasuke-teme," **Naruto growled, the demonic edge to his voice very pronounced. "**This power was forced on me without my opinion, while you chose to go chasing after some promised power from a traitor.**"

"Come on Naruto, we both have immense power," Sasuke said. "Why not use yours to take revenge upon those who wronged you? Why do you defend a village made up of those who would rather see you dead?"

"**You're right,**" Naruto said. "**I could** decide to turn against the village and someone else in my position might just do that. But that's not me. I am Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto, son of the Yondaime Hokage Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina, a chunin of Konohagakure no Sato and the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko. But what I am not is a traitor! While Konoha and a majority of the villagers deserve revenge but if I do turn on them, then I become what they accuse me of being."

"So, you are the son of the Yondaime Hokage," Sasuke said. "I see. Interesting, we are two sides of the same coin. I, the prince of the village, given everything and anything, the survivor a tragic massacre, you the pariah of the village for something that you never asked for, and yet you are the son of their greatest hero. They treat you like scum and you still want to defend them!"

"YES!" Naruto cried.

"Why?"

"Because they saved me from becoming you!" Naruto roared. "Iruka-sensei, the Ichirakus, Kakashi-sensei, Ero-Sennin, Baa-chan, Sakura-chan, the Rookie 9, Lee, Ten-ten, even you! You all rescued me from the loneliness that was suffocating me; I would have turned out just like Gaara if not for you all."

Laughter broke out over the roaring waterfall, laughter and clapping.

"Very nice Naruto-kun, very moving," a very familiar, oily sounding voice came from above them. Naruto turned and saw Kabuto looking down at him and Sasuke.

"What are you doing here traitor?" Naruto snarled. "Come to pick up your master's next boy-toy?"

Sasuke's eye twitched at Naruto's insult but he was forestalled from retorting by Kabuto. "A crude yet accurate statement Naruto-kun," Kabuto said. "Lord Orochimaru is most disappointed in you Sasuke-kun. You were supposed to have arrived under escort hours ago. Now I see why you were delayed, I take it that the Sound Five aren't with you, that Naruto wasn't alone in his pursuit of you."

"No," Sasuke said. "Shikamaru, Choji, Lee, Kiba and Neji were part of the team sent after me. Your lackeys must not be very strong if they haven't beaten those weaklings."

Naruto growled at Sasuke. "I'd watch your tone Uchiha," he snapped. "Anyone of those would have wiped the floor with you, and I'm sure that they are just finishing up against those freaks." Naruto smirked as he caught the miniscule twitch in Kabuto's eye; years of reading people's faces trying to figure out if they meant you harm or not was great practice.

"No matter," Kabuto said airily. "They will simply pay the consequences for their mistakes. Come along Sasuke-kun, Lord Orochimaru is waiting."

"Now hold it right there," Naruto growled. "The teme and I aren't done with our fight. And once I'm done with him, I've got a score to settle with you as well."

"I'm afraid that's going to have to wait Naruto-kun," Kabuto said, smiling broadly. "For you see, we are on a tight schedule and must be off." He then **Shunshin**'d to Sasuke's side and put a hand on his shoulder.

Naruto growled as he pulled as much of Kurama's chakra into his system. The demon chakra burned his insides like molten fire but none of that mattered. He had to stop Sasuke and Kabuto, even if it killed him. "You're not getting away that easily!" Naruto roared as he shot across the river, a **Rasengan** forming nearly instantly in his hand. "Die traitors!"

SNIKT!

Naruto looked down at his chest to see the tip of a sword sticking out of his chest, just to the right of his breastbone.

"Kukukuku," a voice hissed gleefully from behind Naruto. "My, my, what do we have here?" It was Orochimaru. "So Sasuke-kun, this was the reason you were delayed in coming to me. I would have thought that with your new power you would have been able to beat Naruto-kun quite handily, even if he holds the Kyuubi. But no matter."

Naruto gasped as the sword was withdrawn from his chest. He tried to say something but blood filled his punctured lung and began dribbling out of his mouth. Naruto dropped to his knees, a fire filling his bones, a fire much different than when he used Kurama's chakra.

_'Poison!' _Naruto thought. _'Of course the Snake bastard's sword is poisoned. Come on Kurama, can't you led me a hand. Remember, if I die you die as well.'_

_**'I know that gaki,' Kurama growled. 'I'm doing the best that I can but if I push anymore of my chakra into your already damage chakra coils, you'll lose the ability to wield chakra. You have to stop channeling my charka in your cloak and let me work on the poison first.'**_

_'I can't just drop that, if I do, what's to stop them from just killing us,' _Naruto barked at the fox.

_**'The poison will kill you if you don't listen to me right now you gaki ningen,' Kurama roared.**_

_ 'Fine but work fast,' _Naruto said. The Kyuubi's cloak surrounding Naruto quickly faded away as he fell face first into the rocky shores of the river.

"Well then, it seems that our work here is done," Orochimaru cackled. "It seems that the Kyuubi has given up on poor Naruto-kun and without the Kyuubi's healing properties, Naruto-kun doesn't stand a chance of surviving. Come along Kabuto-kun, Sasuke-kun, we must be off. I'm sure that Tsunade-chan will have sent out another team to follow Naruto-kun and his friends."

"What about Naruto?" Sasuke asked. "I mean, are you sure he's dead?"

"If he isn't now, he will be shortly," Orochimaru commented with the same air as one who was talking about the weather. "Though it might cause us problems with the Akatsuki down the road, killing one of their jailers. Oh well, come along Sasuke-kun."

Without another word, the trio of Konoha deserters and traitors left Naruto lying on the rocky shore, blood pouring from his wound and mouth.

**A/N: Well there you go, I've gone back and fixed up and added the Naruto/Sasuke fight to this chapter. Hope you enjoy, I've also added the poll on whether Sakura lives or dies to my profile so please check it out and vote. There will probably only one or two more chapters of this story. Please read and review, I think this fight between Sasuke and Naruto was one of my better ones, but it probably be improved. If you have any suggestions to make it better, please tell me. Enjoy the chapter,**

**S.R.W.M.O**


	17. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: _Naruto_ isn't mine, just having some fun it's sandbox.**

"Urgh," Naruto groaned as he regained consciousness. Blinking rapidly to clear his eyes, Naruto looked up at a sterile white ceiling. "I know this ceiling," he muttered as awareness flooded back through his system. He was in a Konoha Hospital room judging from the blindingly white-checkered ceiling and the ammonia sterile smell surrounding him. Naruto tried to raise his head but his muscles screamed in protest. '_Seems like I still haven't fully recovered,_' he thought. '_Kurama, are you there?_'

'_**Of course I am you moronic ningen,**_' **the Nine-Tailed Fox's voice boomed in Naruto's head. **_**'Where else would I be?'**_

_'I didn't know if you were awake,'_ Naruto asked. _'Why can't I move my arms or legs? Why haven't you healed me?'_

_**'I have healed as much as I can,'**_** Kurama growled. **_**'Your chakra network was nearly torn to shreds. Using my chakra for such a prolonged amount of time has a very detrimental effect on you. You're lucky that I was able to do as much as I could, as well as that busty Hokage of yours. She was able to heal your more noticeable injuries, allowing me to focus on purging the remainder of that Hebi-teme's poison from your body.'**_

_ 'Thank you Kurama, I owe you big time,'_ Naruto said. _'I underestimated Sasuke and let my guard down when Kabuto showed up. I should have finished Sasuke off when I used the _**Kirigakure no Jutsu**_, but instead I had to hesitate and let Sasuke use that Curse Seal.'_

_**'No shit gaki, you should have slapped that Uchiha bastard down instantly,'**_** Kurama shouted. **_**'I can't have my host be so weak! You could have beaten down that Uchiha brat with ease but you stretched it out and allowed him to get away. This will come back to bite both of us. I hope you learn from this, your enemies don't deserve any mercy from you. You can't hesitate when in a fight.'**_

'_I know Kurama-san, and I'm sorry,'_ Naruto grumbled. _'This won't happen again, I promise you that.'_

The fox stuck in Naruto's gut grunted in agreement before returning to sleep. Naruto looked back up at the ceiling and quickly fell back into Morpheus' embrace.

The next time Naruto awoke, he realized that he wasn't alone in his room. Slowly opening his eyes, Naruto saw two figures standing over him. One had long blonde hair and the other had shorter dark hair.

"Baa-chan, Shizune-neechan?" Naruto croaked out.

"Naruto! You're awake!" Tsunade cried.

"Naruto-kun!" Shizune screamed.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked. "How long have I been here? How's Sakura-chan? How did I get here?"

"Naruto, calm down or you're going to aggravate your wounds and I'll have to knock you out," Tsunade ordered, glaring at the young ninja. "In order of your questions, you've been here and unconscious for a little over a week, Sakura is recovering and Kakashi brought you back to the village. He found you in the Valley of the End and brought you back. It was still a close call though; you had severe blood loss as well as massive chakra exhaustion and a sword wound that just missed your heart. The sword that hit you was covered with a very noxious poison that I've only seen used by one person."

"Orochimaru," Naruto growled. "I know, he and his butt-buddy, Kabuto, ambushed me and that Hebi-teme stuck me from behind with his sword. Last thing I remember before losing consciousness was Sasuke leaving with those two."

"I see," Tsunade said. "Then I'm afraid I'll have to list your mission as a failure Naruto though everyone was able to make it back to the village alive. Choji and Neji received serious injuries but will make full recoveries in time." Naruto heaved a large sigh of relief.

"How long until I can leave?" he asked.

"I want you to stay here for at least two more days and then no strenuous training for a week after that," Tsunade said.

"What!"

"Naruto, your body was pretty much torn to shreds when Kakashi found you," Tsunade barked. "If it wasn't for the Kyuubi, you wouldn't have survived! You're still recovering, if you try and push your body too quickly, you could lose the ability to use charka entirely. Your chakra network was nearly torn to shreds and I can't heal that with any medical ninjutsu known to man. Your network is slowly recovering but it will take some time. So no using any jutsu for at least two weeks."

"Fine," Naruto muttered. Tsunade and Shizune had to look away from the pouting blonde in order to keep from giggling.

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Naruto was released from the hospital, as Tsunade said, two days after he had woken up. During his time confined to the hospital bed, several of his graduates came to see him including Shikamaru, Ino and Tenten. Naruto noticed that several time the door to his room would open by itself but no one would enter the room. When Naruto was finally released, the first thing he did was go to Sakura's room to find her still unconscious and attached to several machines. Making his way over to Sakura's bedside, Naruto sat down in the seat next to the bed and gently took Sakura's hand in his own.

"I'm so sorry Sakura-chan," Naruto whispered to himself. "I failed you and my mission. We went after Sasuke and I wasn't strong enough to beat him. I got over confident in my abilities and paid the price for that. I swear to you though, I will find Sasuke and make him pay for what he's done to you. I swear to you that I will bring him back to Konoha, just so that you can decide his fate that will really send him over the edge, having the 'annoying weakling' decide his fate."

Naruto wasn't sure but he thought that he felt Sakura's hand tighten around his own for a second. "I'll come back tomorrow Sakura-chan," Naruto said as he stood up. Leaning over the bed, he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead before leaving the room.

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It was another week before Sakura was deemed fit enough to leave the hospital, and even then Tsunade told her that she would be off active-duty for at least another two weeks. Naruto spent the next several weeks training with Kakashi, working on mastering his jutsus and working on his speed. He never wanted to be in the situation that he had been in at the Valley of the End. Naruto knew that he wasn't strong enough to beat the opponents that were coming after him; he needed to get stronger faster.

The answer came to Naruto soon after Sakura was released from the hospital. Jiraiya was going to take him on a training trip that would last for around three years. The Toad Sage promised Naruto that he would make Naruto into a shinobi strong enough to stand against the Akatsuki.

"So you are leaving?" Sakura asked Naruto as they walked back from Team 7's training ground. They had just finished a training session, Sakura's first one since she was cleared for active duty.

"Hai, at the end of the week," Naruto said. "Ero-sennin wants to get moving and he has some leads on…his spy network that he needs to check up on."

"I still can't believe that you're leaving," Sakura said. "For three years too. What's going to happen to Team 7 then?"

"Well, you're the apprentice to baa-chan Sakura-chan, you're going to learn so much," Naruto said. "I'm sure when I get back you'll be so strong and don't worry the time will fly by."

Sakura sighed. "I know Naruto but still, it seems that ever since the Chunin Exams, my world has just fallen apart. First we're attacked by Orochimaru during the exams, the invasion, Sasuke defecting and now your leaving."

"I know its hard Sakura-chan but everything will get better," Naruto said. "I promise. I made a promise that I will bring Sasuke back just so he faces justice, and I intend to keep my word."

"Just be careful Naruto," Sakura said.

"Hey Sakura-chan, it's me," Naruto said with a bright smile.

"I know, and that's why I'm worried," Sakura responded causing Naruto to sweat-drop.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto whined. Sakura giggled as they reached her house.

"Thanks for walking me home Naruto, I'll see you tomorrow for training right?"

"Of course…"

Suddenly the door of Sakura's house burst open and an older man with light brown came storming out of the house. "Get away from her you brat!" the man roared brandishing a kunai. "Get away from my daughter!"

"Tou-san!" Sakura cried as Naruto leapt backward. "What are you doing?"

"Sakura, get inside now!" Mr. Haruno ordered.

"Sakura just go," Naruto said. "I'll see you tomorrow for training." He then leapt onto a nearby roof and vanished.

"Tou-san! What did you do that for?" Sakura cried.

"Sakura! Be silent!" Mr. Haruno barked. "I will not have you fraternizing with that _boy_."

"What are you talking about? What's wrong with Naruto? He's my teammate and my best friend aside from Ino."

"I will not have my daughter be influenced by that _thing_," Mr. Haruno growled. "That _thing_ is the reason that Uchiha-sama left the village! I don't care what anyone else says, I will not have my daughter being on the same team with _it_!"

"I've been teammates with Naruto for nearly a year and you've never acted this way," Sakura cried. "What do you have against him?"

"That was because Uchiha-sama was on your team as well, also he's the reason you were hurt! For Kami's sake Sakura, you were in the hospital for over a month!"

"That was because of Sasuke, not Naruto!" Sakura cried. "Sasuke attacked me, not Naruto! Why are you blaming Naruto for Sasuke leaving the village? Sasuke left on his own! Naruto risked his life to bring Sasuke back to the village."

"You wouldn't understand Sakura, just stay away from _it_," Mr. Haruno ordered. "That _thing_ is nothing but trouble! End of discussion, now get inside this house!"

Sakura glared at her father and stormed past him, racing up to her room and slamming the door behind her. Mr. Haruno sighed and followed his wayward daughter into the house.

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The next morning at training Sakura tried to apologize to Naruto for her father's outburst but Naruto just waved her off.

"It's fine Sakura-chan," Naruto said. "Unfortunately I'm used to that sort of thing."

"Why?" Sakura asked. Naruto bit his lip.

"I guess he must have gotten caught up in a prank of mine or something," Naruto lied. "Don't worry about Sakura-chan, your tou-san just wants you to be safe, same as me."

Sakura frowned. She knew that Naruto was hiding something from her. "Naruto…"

"Hey there Kakashi-sensei, so what training are we doing today?" Naruto cried out as the silver haired jonin appeared behind Sakura. Sakura wasn't fooled by the conversation change but turned to her jonin-sensei.

"Yo!" Kakashi said breezily. "I was thinking we would work on your hand seal speed. The faster you can do those seals, the faster you can perform jutsu."

"How do we do that?" Sakura asked.

"First you perform each of the hand signs in a string, slowly at first and then build up speed until you can do them all in a single row without a mistake and without thinking about them," Kakashi said. "After you can do that, we'll move onto making the actual hand signs for your jutsus."

The remaining members of Team 7 spent the morning as Kakashi said, working on their hand signs. After lunch, Kakashi had them work on their taijutsu by sparring against himself and a **Kage Bunshin**.

"Good job both of you," Kakashi said as the sun began to set behind the Hokage monument. "Now, tomorrow will be our final training session as a team since Naruto, you'll be traveling with Jiraiya-sama and Sakura, you'll be starting your training with Hokage-sama, so we're going to have a repeat of what your very first training session with me."

"You mean the bell test?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi gave the blonde his signature eye smile. "That's right," Kakashi said. "I want to see how you've both grown so we will be having a team spar tomorrow. Naruto, you and Sakura against myself. Now remember…"

"We have to come at you with the intent to kill or we won't get the bells, ne sensei?" Sakura quipped.

"Correct my cute little genin," Kakashi said. "Now head on home and remember, don't eat breakfast or you'll throw up."

"Gonna be on time tomorrow sensei?" Naruto asked. Kakashi chuckled.

"Yes, I have to be or Hokage-sama will have my hide," Kakashi said.

The next morning saw Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi standing at the three posts were they became Team 7 along with Sasuke. Also there were Jiraiya, Tsunade and Shizune as well as the rest of the Rookie Nine and Team Gai. The rookies and Team Gai had come because Ino had caught wind of the upcoming team spar and had quickly spread the news around.

"Looks like we've got an audience," Naruto commented as he stared down his sensei.

"Ino-pig is behind this," Sakura grumbled.

"Are we going to do this?" Naruto asked. "Who cares if they are here, it's just an opportunity to show off our skills."

"Right then," Kakashi said. "Let's begin." Kakashi raised his forehead protector to revel his **Sharingan** and barked, "Begin!"

"**Kage Bunshin**!" Naruto cried out. Five clones of Naruto appeared, surrounding Kakashi. The clones charged forward, trying to engage Kakashi however the jonin showed his strength by quickly dispelling the clones. When he turned back to face Naruto and Sakura, they had vanished into the woods. Kakashi grinned under his mask. '_So they're going to make this interesting I see,_' he thought before following his students into the woods.

"Naruto, what are we going to do?" Sakura asked. "You know Kakashi-sensei will be following us, so if you have a plan you better hurry up and set it up."

"Too late," an amused voice echoed around them. Kakashi appeared above the pair and quickly tossed several kunai at them. The pair of younger ninja leapt apart, the kunai spearing the ground between them. Naruto flashed through several hand signs and called out a jutsu, "**Futon: Daitoppa!**"

A great burst of compressed air spat from Naruto's mouth and shot toward Kakashi, who leapt backward into the trees. The jutsu smashed into the ground and sent a mound of earth into the air. "Now Sakura!" Naruto cried out.

"**Doton: Domu!**" Sakura roared as she struck the mound of flying earth. An earthen spear shot from the mound and sped toward Kakashi. Kakashi dodged easily, as the attack slammed into the tree that Kakashi had just vacated, spearing itself through the thick trunk.

"Not bad but not good enough," Kakashi chided. "**Doton: Doryuudan!**" A large dragon's head made of earth rose from the ground and sped toward Naruto and Sakura.

"**Raiton: ****Kiriorosu!**" Naruto cried. A bolt of lightning shot from Naruto's hands and slammed into Kakashi's jutsu. Kakashi's eyes widened as Naruto's jutsu sliced through his own easily, leaping backward, Kakashi avoided the lightning bolt.

"I see you've worked on your **Raiton** affinity," Kakashi said. Naruto nodded. "Well done but just having a some new jutsus won't be enough to beat me."

"That's not all I've improved on," Naruto said. "Kai!" Kakashi blinked as a yellow blur appeared beneath him.

"**U**…" A sliding Naruto kicked up at Kakashi's chest, the silver haired jonin blocked with his arms. The force of the kick however, sent Kakashi into the air.

"**Zu**…" another Naruto appeared at Kakashi's side and landed a rising kick to the man's side.

"**Ma**…" A third Naruto appeared and kicked Kakashi higher still.

"**Ki**!" A fourth Naruto struck Kakashi in the back, launching the jonin farther into the trees.

"**Naruto Rendan**!" A fifth Naruto appeared above the flying Kakashi, a spinning axe kick aimed at Kakashi. Kakashi raised his arms to block but the kick sent Kakashi flying down toward the ground.

"All right!" Naruto cried as he dispelled his clones. However the Kakashi lying on the ground below poofed into smoke reveling a splintered log. "Kuso!" Naruto cursed.

"Damnit Naruto," Sakura cried as she appeared at his side. "How could you let him get away?"

"Sorry Sakura-chan, I thought I had him," Naruto said, frantically looking around for Kakashi.

"Looking for someone," a voice chuckled from behind them. "You should never let your opponent get behind you." Naruto paled as he shoved Sakura aside. "**Sennen Goroshi!**"

"AHHHHH!" Naruto cried as he was sent flying through the air, clutching his ass. "Kuso Kakashi-sensei! Really, did you have to do that?"

"It's a great teaching tool," Kakashi chuckled.

"You really are a pervert," Sakura commented. "**Suiton: Teppoudama!**" she cried, spitting a ball of water toward Kakashi, causing him to leap away from Naruto.

"**Rasengan!**" Naruto roared as he descended from treetops toward Kakashi.

"Kuso!" Kakashi cursed as he leapt sideways just in time to avoid Naruto's attack. The **Rasengan** drilled into the ground where Kakashi had just been standing.

"**Doton: Taiga no Deido!**" Sakura's voice called out as the clearing filled with mud. "**Doton: ****Ryusha Ageita!**" Kakashi cursed as he felt his feet begin to sink into mud. Suddenly there was a puff of smoke and in place of Kakashi, a straw dummy that looked like Kakashi was now sinking into the mud.

"Damnit," Sakura growled as she cancelled her jutsu. "I really hate that thing."

"I know what you're talking about, when we first became a team he used one of those during training and afterwards I took it home and used it as a training dummy," Naruto said.

"I was wondering what you were doing with that dummy," Kakashi said as he appeared in front of the pair. "Now you two aren't giving up are you?"

"Hell no," the pair shouted.

"Sakura-chan, let's take this out into the open," Naruto said. "I need some more space for my idea." The pair leapt backward out of the woods and back into the open. Kakashi followed them.

"**Suiton: Kirigakure no Jutsu!**" Naruto called out. A heavy mist rolled in, surrounding the entire clearing and inhibiting everyone's view of the battle.

"What the hell, now we can't see what's going on?" Ino cried out.

"Troublesome girl," Shikamaru muttered.

"What did you say?" Ino growled.

"That isn't going to work on me Naruto," Kakashi chided. "Zabuza was a master of this, and you are years away from being a master of Silent Killing."

"**Kunai Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**" Naruto's voice cried out.

"Kuso!" Kakashi cursed as he drew his own kunai and leapt backward, dodging or deflecting the dozens of kunai descending from the mist.

"**Suiton: Mizurappa!**" Sakura cried out. A jet of water shot through the mist and clipped Kakashi in the side, spinning him around. "Now Naruto!"

"**Rasengan!**" Naruto roared, appearing behind Kakashi in a yellow blur. Kakashi leapt upward to avoid his sensei's signature attack.

"Damnit!" Naruto shouted as he dispersed the jutsu. "I nearly had him."

"You know that this is only a spar," Kakashi said. "That would have killed me if you had hit me."

"Well you said to come at you with the intent to kill didn't you Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto said.

"True but I didn't think that you'd get so close to actually killing me," Kakashi said.

"That's enough Kakashi," Tsunade called out. "Naruto, Sakura, come on in. I believe we've seen enough of what we need to, right Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya stepped forward. "I think so," the Toad Sage said. He looked to his former teammate. "So are you going to do it Tsunade-hime?" he asked.

Tsunade had to hide a blush at the nickname that Jiraiya gave her. "Yes I believe that Sakura has shown enough to warrant it. Haruno Sakura, step forward." Sakura blinked but did as asked. "Haruno Sakura, you have shown much improvement these past few months as well as a very good grasp of tactics and jutsus. Your ability to wield several different chakra natures is most impressive for someone of your age, as is your near perfect chakra control. So as Godaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, I confer upon you the rank of chunin. Do you accept?"

Sakura was stunned. "Of course milady," she stammered. "Thank you," she added with a low bow.

"Congrats Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted. "Now we're the same rank." Sakura smiled broadly as she took the chunin flak jacket that Tsunade gave her. She slung it over her shoulders and put it on. "Looks great Sakura-chan."

Sakura blushed under the praise coming from her teammate and peers, as the rest of the Rookie nine and Team Gai gave their own congratulations.

"Right then, this calls for a celebration," Kakashi said.

"Ramen!" Naruto cried.

"No Naruto, I think we should let Sakura decide where she wants to go, don't you think?" Kakashi said. Naruto blushed and nodded. "So then Chunin Haruno, where do you want to go?"

"There's this new BBQ place in town," Sakura said. "I've always wanted to try it."

"Then it's settled," Naruto exclaimed with a broad smile.

"Let's meet there at sundown," Ino said. "Come on Forehead, we've got some work to do."

"What are you tal…" Sakura began but she was dragged off by Ino before she could finish. Sakura's protests were quickly eaten up by the distance as Ino dragged her out of the training ground.

That night came quickly for the Rookie nine and Team Gai. Naruto was the first to arrive at the restaurant; soon Team Gai as well as Team Eight met him. The two teams and Naruto entered the restaurant and were brought to their reserved room. The owners were new to Konoha, and didn't know of Naruto's reputation in the village.

"So Naruto-san, are you excited to be leaving on your training trip with Lord Jiraiya?" Shino asked.

"I'm not sure," Naruto said. "I mean sure Ero-sennin is an extremely strong ninja and I know that he'll have loads to teach me and help me get stronger but he's also a massive pervert and I'm probably going to spend half my time dragging him out of hot springs and away from his so-called research."

"You shouldn't call Lord Jiraiya names," Hinata stammered.

"He is a super pervert though," Naruto argued. "He's proud of it. He's also the author of those dirty books that Kakashi-sensei always reads." Hinata's face grew a massive blush as that was the most Naruto had ever spoken to her at one time.

"There you guys are!" a very familiar and loud voice cried out over the rest of the chatter coming from the restaurant. It was Ino with the rest of her team along with Kakashi, Sakura, Jiraiya, Tsunade and Shizune.

"Hey guys," Naruto called out. "Glad you could join us, I'm surprised that Kakashi-sensei is on time."

"This is important," Kakashi muttered.

"Right, I'm sure that baa-chan threatening you didn't have anything to do with it," Naruto commented as everyone sat down around the table. Kakashi chuckled nervously while scratching the back of his head.

"Forget about that, let's drink," Tsunade barked.

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It had finally come, the day of Naruto's departure from the village. The Rookie Nine, Team Gai and their jonin senseis, as well as Iruka, Tsunade and Shizune were all waiting at the front gate to Konoha with Jiraiya. They were waiting on Naruto, who was surprisingly late.

"Where is the gaki?" Tsunade growled. "We're all waiting on him. Kakashi, I swear if he's picked up your habit of showing up late, I will tie you up and make you watch as I burn all of those smutty books of yours."

Kakashi chuckled nervously. "I don't know where he is," the silver haired jonin said. "But I promise you that I had nothing to do with this. "

"Hey you guys," Naruto called out as he leapt down from a nearby shop.

"Brat, where the hell have you been?" Tsunade shouted.

Naruto scratched the back of his head and chuckled nervously. "Sorry baa-chan, I was just saying goodbye to tou-san and kaa-san," he said solemnly. Everyone paused and nodded, Jiraiya, Tsunade and Kakashi smiled sadly at the blonde boy. "I mean, it'll be three years before I can see them again so I wanted to let them know that I wouldn't be around for a while."

"So gaki, you ready?" Jiraiya asked. "We need to get moving, we need to meet my contact tomorrow and it'll take sometime to get to the meeting point."

"Hai Ero-sennin," Naruto said, hoisting his pack on his shoulder. "Let's go."

Each of the Rookie Nine and Team Gai said their goodbyes to Naruto; Ino, Tenten and Sakura each gave Naruto a hug, Sakura being the tightest. The male members of the younger generation shook Naruto's hand, though Lee gave Naruto a 'youthful' hug. Hinata tried to say something but her stammering was indecipherable.

"Naruto," Jiraiya said. "It's time."

Naruto nodded. "Well, this is it guys. See you in three years. You all better be at least chunin by the time I get back, though I'll still be able to kick all your asses."

"What was that?" Kiba shouted.

"See you," Naruto laughed as he and Jiraiya made their way out of the village and down the path. Just as Naruto and Jiraiya reached the edge of the forest surrounding the village, Naruto stopped and looked back. It would be the last time that Naruto would see the village for three years. His gaze shifted upward to the Hokage Monument, to the last massive stone face carved into the mountain.

'_I will make you proud tou-san, kaa-san,_' Naruto said to himself, raising his fist to the sky. '_Watch out Konoha, when Uzumaki Naruto returns you're going to be in for a surprise!_'

**A/N: Well, there you have it, the final chapter of _Underneath_. I know it's a shorter chapter than normal, but there isn't much to be added after the battle at the VotE. There will be a sequel but it will be a long time coming. Honestly, I'm thinking of going back through _UtU_ and changing some things, clean up some things. But hopefully you've enjoyed the ride. **

**Til next time,**

**S.R.W.M.O**


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